Rescue Me
by CatChester
Summary: Rogue has been captured by Weapon X and Gambit takes it upon himself to rescue her. Making their way back home will strain their relationship and maybe, bring them closer to each other.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Unlike my usual stories, this one is still a WIP so updates will be much slower than usual.

Also, When Remy charges something in Evo, it glows golden, not magenta, so that's how i describe his powers in this fic.

Set after season 4.

**Chapter One**

Rogue turned over and sighed as she heard footsteps approach her cell. She didn't even have a bed to sleep on, or a blanket. Apparently they could be used to hide things, so the prisoners had nothing but a toilet in their cells.

She knew they weren't coming for her because she could hear three sets of footsteps. One set meant one of the scientist had come to check up on the prisoners vital signs. Two sets means guards who had come to collect a prisoner. Three sets meant two guards were bringing a new prisoner.

Poor bastard.

He or she would probably be terrified, would look to those around them for comfort and reassurance, only Rogue couldn't offer anything like that, which is why she kept her back turned. The cage next to hers was empty and had been for a little while now, so it was likely that she'd be their new cell mate. She would let the others try to comfort him though, they at least still had hope. There was no point in bringing the new guy or girl down any more than necessary.

The days had blurred into weeks and now she had no clue how long she had been here. There was no natural light here, just the constant glow of the fluorescents overhead. They didn't even turn them down at night.

She heard the electronic ping of the forcefield around a cell being switched off, someone being pushed and landing on the floor, then the forcefield being re-engaged. She had heard these sounds so often that she knew what they meant, even with her eyes closed.

Made from a cross-hatch of energy beams on four sides, there was no privacy in the cells. At the back there was a latrine with screens about a meter high on three sides, but anyone standing in front of the cell could see exactly what was going on.

Showers were weekly affairs, and the guards took them one at a time to a cold, windowless room where they could wash under lukewarm water. Still there was no privacy as a guard always stood watch. At least for the women, it was a female guard.

"_Chère?_"

Rogue's breath caught in her throat. She almost didn't dare to hope that it might be him, that she might have a friend in here. Maybe she had finally gone insane? It wasn't like she didn't already have enough people in her dead to drive her crazy, after all.

Still, hallucination or not, she turned to see Gambit in the cell next to hers, dressed just as she was, in blue hospital scrubs. She couldn't help but smile at him, then she burst in to tears.

"Rogue? Rogue, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," she said, crawling over to the edge of her cell to be closer to him.

"What for?"

"I was pleased to see you," she sniffed. "I wouldn't wish this place on my worst enemies, let alone a friend."

"Oh, _chère._" He wondered if he was too late, if her mind had already gone. He couldn't blame her if it had, she had been in here almost three months, after all.

"I'm sorry," she wiped at her eyes. "Some reunion this is, me blubbering everywhere."

Remy breathed a sigh of relief at her words; they hadn't broken her spirit yet, he wasn't too late. She was far too thin and her voice sounded hoarse, but at least she was sane.

"So, _chère_, gimme the local info, where are the hot spots, what's the food like, who's open to bribes?"

Rogue actually smiled a little at that. "Oh, it's so good to see you, Gam-"

His hissed breath and fierce expression stopped her saying his name but she didn't know why she couldn't say it.

"Good to see you too, _chère_." He smiled as though nothing had happened. Whatever the reason, she decided not to ask now.

"I'm sorry they caught you."

"Well, I suppose if I have to be a glorified lab rat, at least I have a _belle_ cell mate."

He moved around so that he was lying on the floor, his head close to Rogues cell. Pretty soon she had mimicked his position and their heads were inches apart, separated only by the beams of the forcefield. Remy made small talk with her, trying to keep her spirits high.

He'd been there about two hours when a bell sounded, and up through the floors came a tray of bland finger food and a plastic glass of water. Remy reached for the tray and dragged it over to where he was lying.

"You not eating, _chère_?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'm on hunger strike."

Remy had noticed how gaunt she looked but he had never dreamed that she had stopped eating.

"They allow that around here?" he asked.

Rogue shook her head and looked at the floor.

"Rogue?"

She gave a deep sigh, then replied. "Each day after my tests, they hold me down, shove a tube down my throat and force feed me."

Remy wished that he could say that he couldn't imagine anything worse, but he could. He had already experienced worse at their hands.

"I'm sorry, _chère_."

Rogue shrugged.

"Maybe today'd be a good day to end that hunger strike," he said as quietly as he could. When she looked up, shocked, he gave her a wink so fast that she almost missed it.

A smile began to twitch the edges of her lips as she realised that something else was going on but he glared at her, quelling her expression before an overeager guard could notice her smiling on the camera feeds.

"Maybe later," she said with a theatrical sigh.

Remy ate his food but it seemed to have been prepared with the sole purpose of have absolutely no taste whatsoever. Still, food was food and beggars couldn't be choosers.

Rogue ate hers about an hour later, and she ate slowly so that no one would think that she suddenly had a reason to eat. The hatch in the floor opened again a while later but nothing was there.

"They want the tray back," Rogue explained. "If you don't, they'll give you ten seconds of the pain setting next time you're being tested. They up it by ten seconds for every infraction."

So Remy placed his tray in the hole, like a good little prisoner.

They talked for a while longer, until Rogue' eyes began to grow heavy. She was pretty sure the last meal they had been served was dinner, so it was probably getting on for evening. If she was honest though, ever since she'd stopped eating and been force fed, she was much more tired than usual. She didn't mind actually, because at least while she was asleep she could go anywhere. Only when she was awake was she trapped here, in this 6"6' by 6" cell.

Remy let her sleep for a few hours. If his internal body clock was right, and knowing that they would take his watch he'd been training himself, it was just gone 8 o'clock at night, so he had another two hours to go before he could make his move.

Gradually the soft conversation from other cells began to quieten and a few hours later, most of the other prisoners seemed to be asleep too. Remy crossed his arms under his head and closed his eyes as well, all the better to lull the guards into a false sense of security.

* * *

"Rogue, Rogue!"

She heard he name being called but so quietly that she almost didn't hear it in her sleep.

"Rogue!"

"Wa-"

"Ssh, don't let them know that you're awake."

Rogue adjusted her position so that she could see Remy without fully opening her eyes. She noticed that his left bicep was bloody and more importantly, his power neutralising collar was unlocked. Her heart was hammering in her chest but she daren't move. She daren't hope.

"In about three minutes all hell is going to break lose, so be ready, okay?"

She gave a tiny nod and waited what felt like hours for any signs of action. Finally she heard a loud bang in the distance, an alarm began to wail, then a second bang caused the lights and the forcefield's went off. After a moment of stunned silence, everyone began to run.

Rogue almost took off with them, but Remy's wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her too him.

"We got a different escape route, _chère_." He bent down and touched one of the food hatches, charging it and blowing a hole on the floor.

"Come on," he said, climbing down into the hole.

Rogue wondered how there could be enough room for them on the food escalator, but she soon heard another bang so followed Remy down the hatch, then through a hole into what looked like a water run-off drain.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her along in his wake.

He picked up a rock which he charged, using that to light their way with a gentle, golden glow. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing. She could vaguely hear other explosions and alarms going off in the background but she didn't have time to wonder what they were.

She could barely keep up at times, but his grip never loosened so she had no choice but to keep running or fall over and be dragged.

Finally Remy stopped and charged part of the tunnel wall. Rogue expected them to go through it but he ran straight ahead instead.

Finally they reached the end of this tunnel, only to find that the way outside was covered in a huge metal grate!

Rather than charging the whole grate, Remy began charging small lines on the metal, at the very top and bottom of each bar, then at the sides. The metal melted rather than exploding and when he was done, Remy lifted the massive grate out and gestured for Rogue to go through first. To her surprise he then asked her to help him hold the grill back in place while we remelted the metal, almost welding it back into place.

"We don't have time for this!" she snapped, her nerves now far too frayed to remember that he was her rescuer.

"If we put this back, they'll never think that we came this way and they'll never even check the route we take."

She supposed that made sense, but rational thought was proving rather hard at the moment.

When he had finished and the grate was almost as good as new, they ran down the water channel, which was thankfully only a few inches deep with water at the moment.

"Can't you light the way again." Rogue asked. The moon was far from full tonight, and what little light it did give off was obscured by some rather tall trees on either side of the ditch.

"Not outside. It'd draw them to us like moths to a flame. Besides, I can see in the dark."

Their thin shoes were sadly inadequate for an escape attempt and the stones dug painfully into their feet. Finally Remy dragged Rogue out of the run off channel and through the thick woodland that was either side.

Their arms and legs were scraped, grazed and torn by the undergrowth but they pressed on. After they had been running for close to half an hour, Rogue's strength finally gave out and Gambit was forced to slow down as he picked her up and carried her.

"I'm fine, I can walk, Cajun!"

"Maybe, _chère_, but this is my rescue attempt, why not let me play the hero for once."

Rogue really was tired, malnourished, and exhausted in fact, and he'd cleverly phrased his reply in such a way to appease her. He wasn't her hero, she was just letting him play the hero.

It wasn't too long after that that they came to a cave and Remy finally stopped, setting her back on her feet once they were inside.

"Why are we stopping?" she asked. "Shouldn't we keep running?"

"Mindless running gets you caught, _chère_. Remy spent a month planning this break out, don't go ruinin' it for him."

Rogue shut up, for once without sulking. Gambit put it down to her fatigue. Her eyes had adjusted a little to the dark, so she found a rock to sit on while she watched Gambit run around the cave. He'd clearly been here before because there was just so much stuff already here.

"What's that?" she asked as he positioned something near the entrance.

"It's a little like your image inducer, a holographic projection that makes the entrance to this cave look like solid rock."

"How long are we staying here for?" Rogue asked.

"I had planned on two nights, but you're gonna need your strength for the next leg of the journey so we'll see how it goes."

He left the mouth of the cave and came to the bags near where she was. He rummaged until he found a small electric lamp, which cast a low and eerie light around them.

"Want that collar off now?" he asked.

She remembered that he had already removed his own in the cell.

"How can you do that?" she asked.

"Easy, _chère_, I'm a thief." He lifted the bloodied sleeve of his scrubs and using his index and first finger, pulled something out of his arm.

"You implanted a lock pick into your arm?"

"How else was I going to get it in there with me?" he asked, trying not to let her see how painful taking it out for a second time was.

"You're bleeding again!"

"I've had much worse." He wiped the bloody pick on his top, then approached Rogue.

She put her hands around her neck, covering most of the collar.

"These things have explosives in, Gambit, you'll blow my head off!"

"Have a little faith, Rogue. My own head is in tact, isn't it?"

She had to admit that he was right so although she was nervous, she removed her hands and leaned her head back.

He worked slowly because as uncomfortable as this position was for Rogue, she would be a lot more uncomfortable without a head. For once Rogue sat completely still and didn't complain at all. Finally with a small snapping sound, the collar came open.

"There," he smiled as he gently slid it from around her neck. "All done."

Rogue once again clasped her hands to her neck, something that she hadn't been able to touch since they first captured her and snapped that bloody collar on.

Remy put a pair of latex gloves and got antiseptic wipes out, raised the hem of her trousers and began cleaning the cuts and abrasions he found there. He was focused on his task, taking care not to hurt her too much, so Rogue took the opportunity to study him. He was actually a pretty good looking man, she admitted, if only he weren't so cocky all the time. Well no, that wasn't quite true either, she quite liked his cocky, charming attitude at times.

He moved onto her arms and throughly cleaned the wounds there too.

"I can do that."

"Don't want you being sloppy and getting an infection," he said with a teasing smile, though he didn't take his eyes off his task.

Rogue wanted to return the favour, especially for that wound on his arm where he'd pulled the lock puck out. Twice! She was just so unused to touching people that she felt awkward even offering.

"Here," Remy handed her a pile of clothes.

"You thought of everything, didn't ya?"

"I tried. Don't worry, I'll keep my back turned while you change, or you can turn the light off if you'd prefer."

"You already told me you could see in the dark."

Gambit winked. He picked up the antiseptic wipes and a bandage, then turned away and began cleaning his wounds, starting with the large one on his upper arm.

Rogue got changed as quickly as she could and was pleased to see that he had remembered shoes (good quality hiking boots) and gloves (the climbing variety if she wasn't mistaken, the kind that had excellent grip).

"Done."

True to his word he hadn't turned around, but apparently he had no such qualms about changing in front of her as he began undressing.

Rogue tried not to look as he stripped down to his boxers but she seemed unable not to. She knew Remy had a good body, even seeing him fully clothed, that much was obvious. What she hadn't realised though, was quite how fit he was, and she meant fit in the 'phwoar' sense of the word, not as in 'fit and active'. His stomach was literally what you might call washboard and his hip bones pointed tantalisingly towards other treasures that were sadly hidden by his boxers. Thankfully he didn't seem to notice her staring, so she felt free to enjoy the show.

"See something you like, _petite_," he asked as he pulled a T-shirt on.

Rogue jumped. "In your dreams, swamp rat!"

Remy just smiled and began rummaging in another bag. He unrolled two sleeping bags on the floor, side by side, then went into another bag and handed her a bottle of water and two energy bars.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked as she accepted them.

"I'm just lookin' out for ya."

"'Looking out' doesn't include getting caught by the Weapon X Project and their pet mutants."

Remy got down into his sleeping bag and Rogue moved to sit on hers, so they were the same level.

"You helped me rescue ___mon père__, _I figured I owed you a rescue."

Rogue nodded but she still didn't really understand why he'd go to so much trouble for her.

"So, where are we anyway?"

"Paraguay."

"What! What the hell are we doing there?"

"The facility is surrounded by jungle and for the right price, the authorities look the other way."

"So how do we get home?"

"That's gonna take some time. We've gotta stay here until they've searched the local area, then we gotta hike forty miles to the next town. From there I've got a ride waiting and we'll drive into Argentina-"

"Shouldn't we head north?"

"They have the authorities on payroll here, we need to get into a different jurisdiction as soon as possible. Once we're in Argentina though, we should be able to catch a flight back home."

Rogue nodded but she was clearly thoughtful.

"What's up?"

"Well, not to sound disrespectful or anything, but why did you come, why didn't the X-Men come for me?"

"They didn't know where you were."

"You didn't tell them?"

"No." Gambit clearly didn't see anything wrong with that. "Look, _chère_, I knew that the X-Men would go in all powers blazing, but that whole facility is set up to handle mutants and I knew that approach wouldn't work. This kind of job required patience, planning, practice and stealth, things that your friends generally don't find easy."

Rogue was kind of hurt that he didn't consider himself one of her friends.

"Not everyone has my iron will, you know," he added with a wink, making her smile.

"But they'll be worried about me!"

"I know, and as soon as you're safe, we'll call them."

"Okay, but how did you do it? Plan it?"

"You don't need the boring details, _chère__._"

"Why not? We've got nothing else to do until they call off the search."

Remy considered her for a moment then shrugged. "Okay. First I had to get the blueprints for this place but as I say, the public officials here will happily take bribes so that wasn't hard. Then I befriended about half a dozen guards while they were on leave to get information on their security."

"Wait, there is no way they told you that!"

"I had a psychic friend of mine reach into their minds, then make then forget the whole encounter," Remy shrugged as though it was no big deal. "So by now I know how long it takes mutants to be processed and reach here, how the guards work and their shift rotations, the name of the firm that installed their security, and about the existence of these collars. Next I break into the security firm to steal the specifications of the alarms, sensors, that kind of thing. Next was the tricky part, getting my hands on some collars to practice with. The guards didn't know who made 'em, so I had to steal the memories of one of the executives who fly down every few weeks."

Rogue was starting to get slightly awed by how intricate this whole plan was.

"So once I know who makes these collars, a firm in Kansas of all places, I went and stole 50 to practice on."

"But they explode!"

"I wore safety equipment," he answered cavalierly, but when he next raised his water bottle to his lips, Rogue noticed that his hands looked a little pink, especially his finger tips. The burns were healing but were no more than a few weeks old. He clearly didn't want her to know though, so she didn't mention it.

"So then what?" She prompted.

"Well it was pretty easy after that. A little over a week ago I came down here, bought the car we'll be using, hiked here to leave our supplies, then broke into the base to leave those bombs on a timer."

"You planted those a week ago?"

Remy nodded.

"But what about their security? Surely they'd notice a few bombs sitting there for a week?"

"Like I said, _chère__, _they were more worried about mutant powers, not something that any old human could do. Their regular security systems are good in theory, but I'm a master thief and they're lax about guard patrols. They think it's the people inside the facility who will cause trouble, not those outside it. Then I just had to go back home, draw attention to myself and let myself get caught."

"There is no way you did all that in four weeks!"

"Well, maybe more like eight from start to finish."

"And how did you get put in the cell next to me? Surely you couldn't have managed that?"

"No problem, their cells are allocated by computer, so a friend of mine wrote an addition to their program which I hacked in and left. Basically it just meant that the cell next to yours wouldn't be allocated until yesterday, when I knew I'd be coming."

"Wow. I never knew break-ins were so involved."

"Been doin' it since I was a kid," he shrugged – no big deal.

Well Rogue thought it was a pretty big deal. Mercenaries who hired themselves out to people like Magneto did not spend two months planning something with no pay out. So maybe he was going to ransom her back to the X-Men. Or maybe someone else wanted to use her power for their own gain and paid him to rescue her.

"Are you being paid to rescue me?" she asked before she could stop herself.

He looked into her eyes for a moment. "I swear, I haven't taken a single cent."

Rogue nodded, deciding to take him at his word.

"I hope the others got out," he said.

"The others?"

"Prisoners. There are over a hundred mutants in that facility, _chère_."

"You let them all out?" She now felt slightly ashamed for thinking he was going to ransom her or something.

"I opened all the doors, _chère_, but without powers, I don't know how many actually got out."

She looked at him with something akin to awe on her face.

"Not entirely selfless," he said with a cheeky grin. "The more of us they have to chase, the more easy it is for us to get lost. Still, if only one or two get to the authorities with those collars on, they'll be believed."

"But what if they hurt themselves getting it off."

"They know how dangerous they are, besides, long as you've got a talented locksmith, should be easy enough. What took me the time was learning to do it blind."

Rogue didn't know what to say to that.

"So, you want to talk about what happened in there?" Remy asked kindly.

"Why do you care, swamp rat!" she said. She hadn't meant to sound to harsh, but that was her normal defence mechanism and right now, she absolutely did not want to talk about it. Period.

"You still hungry?" he asked.

Rogue shook her head, embarrassed about snapping at him.

"Maybe you should get some sleep," he suggested.

Rogue nodded and got into her sleeping bag. Remy turned off the light then did the same. He lay there for a long time, thinking that Rogue would be fast asleep, so he was surprised when she softly called his name.

"_O____ui_?"

"I'm sorry."

"_Ne t'en fais pas, mon ____chère_. Now go to sleep, you need your rest." [Don't worry about it, my darling]

"Night, Gambit."

"Good night, Rogue."

They both smiled to themselves, pleased that the air had been cleared.

* * *

Gambit was awoken a few hours later by a cry and he bolted upright, ready to face whoever had caught them.

There was no one there though. A few moments later the cry came again and he realised that Rogue was having a nightmare. He took some deep breaths as he tried to relax. He went over to her and gently rubbed her back through the sleeping bag.

"It's okay, Rogue, you're safe now _chère_. Remy's not gonna let anything happen to you, okay?"

While he thought that she was entitled to a few nightmares after being held for three months by the Weapon-X project, they couldn't risk anyone hearing her.

She seemed to calm down so Remy moved his sleeping bag closer to Rogue before he got back in and put an arm around her. He hoped that feeling another presence with her, something she hadn't had in was the facility (or for years really) would comfort her, perhaps remind her of when she was a child and being comforted by a parent after a nightmare.

Besides, he had always wanted to get his hands on Rogue's body, so any excuse.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks to , tx peppa, Warrior-princess1980 and Artemis15 for taking the time to leave a review.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Rogue seemed to sleep well after that, certainly she didn't cry out again and when Remy awoke in the morning, she was still sound asleep. He leaned up on his elbow and watched her while she slept for a moment.

She looked so different. She was still pale but then she hadn't seen the sun in three months so that was hardly surprising, but her usual Gothic makeup was gone and in sleep, she looked serene, almost innocent.

She wasn't, of course. Thanks to her mutation, the ability to steal others memories, combined with her work for the X-Men, she had not only seen the worst humanity had to offer, she had also stolen the memories of a lot of bad people over the years.

Then there was her childhood; adopted by Mystique, raised to be a loner, groomed for Mystique's purposes, to say nothing of being virtually handed over to Mesmero on a silver platter for him to use to resurrect Apocalypse. And now there was 3 months in the Weapon X project to add to the list.

Her innocence had long been nothing more than a distant memory.

When he broke in to the facility plant the bombs, he had also paid a visit to the administration offices and read her file. First had come the regular tests, things like fitness and stamina. Next came the standard Weapon X tests, like pain threshold and healing ability. It made him see red when he realised that they had broken her arm, just to see how quickly it healed.

He could understand that when a protocol was in place, it was sometimes hard to change it, especially in a bureaucracy but this wasn't like using old fashioned, out dated rituals, these were people! Rogue wasn't Wolverine or Sabretooth, she wasn't being tested to see if she could endure having an adamantium skeleton implanted! She was just a kid!

A kid with unlimited potential if they could teach her to tap into it, but still just a kid.

Unsurprisingly, they weren't pleased with the results of her healing factor, but they were fairly impressed with her ability to withstand pain. So much so that they repeated this test often to see if they could harden her a little more against pain.

The whole file had sickened him, but especially reading how they caused her pain. They were creative for sick bastards, Remy would give them that, always changing how the pain was delivered, but that didn't change the fact that they were evil.

He tried to take comfort in the fact that her tolerance of pain was probably due to her stubborn nature and refusal to let these assholes know that they had hurt her. It meant that Rogue was still in there, still fighting them, but it really was only a small comfort.

They had finally stopped the pain threshold tests when Rogue went on her hunger strike. Maybe they realised that without proper nutrition, she wouldn't heal properly and they could do some permanent damage, or maybe they hoped that by easing up on the cruelty for a while, she might start to eat of her own accord.

Remy wouldn't even treat a dog like that, Hell, he wouldn't even torture an insect the way tortured Rogue.

Though they held off with the pain, they began a new phase of testing, her absorption abilities. A pain collar would be put on, then her suppression collar removed. Though she technically had her powers again, Remy had felt what a blast from those pain collars was like and understood that she hadn't had a chance to escape. The pain collars were basically like a tazer but twice as powerful. Still, her file said that she had fought tooth and nail, so they finally sedated her in order to force her to absorb people.

Just about the only testing that they hadn't subjected her to was the most important phase of this project, mind control. It was in some of the other poor bastards files though, how they were literally having their minds fucked to test various techniques. Fortunately, they didn't dare try that on Rogue until it was perfected.

In the mean time, they collected and tested the most powerful mutants for Rogue to absorb, in preparation for her future role as weapon X's new puppet.

He hadn't been there for it, but Remy had heard about Rogue's breakdown last year, when all her previously absorbed personalities had taken her over for a time. He wondered how many new people she now shared her head with. Would the same thing happen again?

He hoped not. She deserved better.

As someone who had used her gifts for his own ends before, he felt bad that he had added to her burdens. It was one of the reasons he had been so intent on rescuing her, because even after she found out that he had used her, she had helped him. But it was more than just repaying a debt, it was... well honestly he didn't know why, but he had vowed to take care of her and return her to her X-Men family.

Remy got out of his sleeping bag and took a radio from one of the bags. Making his way to the front of the cave, he plugged an ear piece in and listened to the chatter.

It seemed that many of the mutants hadn't yet been caught, so and search parties were being sent out through the jungle to try and reclaim them. It sounded to him as though they were functioning like a well oiled machine again, despite the setbacks of last night, and he would expect nothing less from an organisation such as this.

"What are you doing?"

He turned to see Rogue sitting up, rubbing her temples.

"This is a guards radio," he said, "I was just listening in, checking the situation."

"And?"

"They're combing through the area so we have to stay low for now."

Rogue nodded, surprised at how well she'd slept. She was still rubbing her temples.

"You okay?"

"Just the voices in my head acting up," she assured him. "Takes me a few minutes sometimes to put them away in their boxes."

She expected him to react to that, after all, he might know that she had other peoples personalities in her head, but it was quite another thing to be confronted with someone who spoke to the voices in their heads.

"You hungry?" he asked.

She nodded, pleased that he hadn't made an issue out of it.

"I can't offer much in the way of variety, but I have plenty of energy bars you can choose from and some dehydrated food that I can reheat."

Rogue smiled and accepted his offer. He made her pre-sweetened porridge and heated it with his powers. Being made for campers and hikers, it used sugar rather than sweeteners which was good, because Rogue needed all the calories she could get right now.

"Eat it slowly," he advised. "You aren't used to eating too much so it could make you ill."

Rogue took his advice.

They spent the rest of the day playing cards and Remy taught her to play poker. She wasn't very good but they weren't playing for money or anything. When the sun began to set, Remy set about doing his usual exercises, or rather he did what he could without access to equipment.

He winced a lot but she didn't ask why. Since she'd reacted so strongly to his query last night, he was careful not to ask anything about what had happened to her in the facility. She in turn seemed content to ignore any pain of his that might have been caused by what Weapon X had done to him.

After watching him for a few moments, Rogue decided that she too should try to get back into shape. She had hoped that now her powers were back, it would be easier than she had expected, but sadly they couldn't save her from malnutrition and inaction. After just five sit up's she could feel the burn.

She noticed Remy watching her carefully but he didn't comment. Compared to what he was doing, like press-ups while in a handstand and back flips, Rogue was going incredibly easy, but it still hurt like a bitch. The pain, as well as her envy at Gambit for being in a better physical state, made her irritable all evening and they went to sleep early.

The next day was much the same, although they both made an effort not to upset each other. Unfortunately that made for a tense and mostly silent atmosphere.

Remy gave Rogue most of the hot food since her need was greater, which made Rogue feel patronised and although she didn't say anything, it soured her mood.

They were similar enough that Remy understood how she felt. It was hard enough showing weakness to a close friend, and whatever their relationship, he was certainly not a close friend to Rogue. Not yet.

She had nightmares again each night and Remy would sooth her into a more peaceful slumber. She would probably see that as a form of weakness though, so he was careful to wake up before she did so that she would never know.

On the third day he decided that it was probably time to leave and began packing up the things that they would need. Rogue was still weak but she had regained a surprising amount of strength in such a short time. She might not be fast, but he would help her on the trek.

"What's going on?" she asked, waking to see him packing their things.

"The search has moved onto local towns," he informed her. "Now is the best time to make a break for it."

"Shouldn't we stay put until they call the search off?" He could hear the fright in her voice. Although they'd only been here three nights, this place was already a home of sorts, a safe haven.

"They've put too much into this project, so they're probably never going to call it off," he confessed. "As it is, the net is widening, making it easier for us to slip through."

Remy carried on packing so that she didn't feel uncomfortable under his scrutiny. He watched her from the corner of his eye thought, and saw her twisting her hands nervously.

"Besides, the sooner we leave, the sooner you can get back to your friends, _non_?"

Her hands stilled and she took a deep breath. "Okay, let's get this show on the road then."

They had to leave a lot of stuff in the cave, anything that they wouldn't need, and Remy packed a backpack with their food, water, their few clothes and then tied their sleeping bags to it.

He saw Rogue smile as he pulled out his trench coat.

"You brought that?" she asked with a teasing smile as she tied her boots.

"Never leave home without it," he smiled back. He slung the backpack over his shoulder and they left the cave.

"Aren't you going to turn the image inducer off?"

"The longer it takes them to find the cave, the bigger head start we'll have," he explained.

The terrain was rough and uneven so it was slow going but they were finally making decent progress. To begin with Remy had gone easy on Rogue, knowing that she was out of shape and had been through an ordeal. All that did how ever, was make her whine, bitch and moan. If he had a dollar for every time that she couldn't do it or that she needed to rest, he'd be a very rich man. Well, an even richer man.

They needed to get to the town and across the boarder as soon as possible though, and while he knew that Rogue was capable of pushing herself harder, being understanding and even tempting her with the idea of seeing her friends again wasn't working.

"_Mon dieu_," he finally cried. "I never knew that the X-Men were such a bunch of whiney-ass pansies!"

If looks could kill he'd be a dead man, but it had the desired effect and Rogue shut up and pushed herself just to prove him wrong. He felt bad bout angering her but tried to tell himself that it was for the best. It didn't matter if she hated him after all, just as long as he could get her to safety.

They spent the night in their sleeping bags at the base of a hill, which afforded them some protection from the elements. They didn't talk much, just ate and slept. They didn't talk much as they hiked either, but Remy could live with that.

It took a day and a half of hiking to reach the next town, which wasn't the closest, but it was big enough that they should be able to blend in fairly well.

They stopped in the trees as they neared the town, and Remy rummaged through he pockets of his trench coat until he found two baseball caps.

"Here," he handed her a baseball cap. "Hide your white streaks under that."

She jammed the hat on her head as he did the same, then he slipped on a pair of dark glasses to hide his eyes.

"You missed a bit," he said as he looked at her. "Keep still." Careful not to touch her skin, he pushed the stray strands of white hair under the cap.

It was an oddly intimate gesture and to be honest, he was surprised that she let him. He decided it was best not to dwell on it though, and they headed into the town.

"Where's the car?" she asked. He turned to look at her and noticed that she appeared stiff and frightened. She also looked dishevelled, though that probably wasn't unusual for hikers.

"Close," he assured her. "Try to relax, _hein_? Fake it if you have to."

Rogue looked surprised but then she nodded and made an effort to relax her posture.

They headed down a few streets, then Remy led her into a run-down block of flats. It was clear that they were in one of the less salubrious parts of town. There were people in the stairwell, some talking with each other, and others just sitting on the stairs, watching. Rogue suspected that they might be high. She wanted to know what they were doing here but she didn't want to say anything in front of an audience.

They headed up two flights of stairs, then Remy knocked on a door. The man who answered was thin and wiry, poorly dressed and probably a drug addict or dealer himself. He looked at Remy, nodded, then disappeared for a moment. When he returned, he had another backpack and a set of keys, which he handed to Remy. Rogue didn't see what Remy gave him in return but if she had to guess, she'd say money.

He nodded to his 'friend' and they left.

"What was that?" Rogue asked as they got back onto the street.

"Local drug dealer. He knows how to avoid from the law in these parts, so I left the car in his care."

He led them to some lockup's. The doors and sometimes the whole structures were made from wood, often rotting and though most had a padlock, they would be pitifully easy to break into. Even Rogue's untrained eye could see that, but she guessed that there probably wasn't enough of value inside them to steal anyway.

Remy opened up one of the worse looking lock-ups and Rogue could see a car inside. It looked like something that might have survived a demolition derby, it was that old and battered.

Remy looked around the lockup for a moment, then placed the new backpack on the hood of the car and rummaged inside.

"Here," he said, throwing her a pack of baby wipes. "It's not a shower but it's better than nothing. There's more clothes in here too." he took some clothes for himself, then handed the backpack over to her.

Rogue nodded her thanks and headed behind the car, where she would have a little privacy. Remy pulled the doors to and she was pleased to see that he kept his back turned while he 'washed' and changed.

"You sure this car will get us to the border?" Rogue asked.

"Don't worry, _chère_," she could hear the smile in his voice. "She may not look pretty but she's got guts."

"Couldn't we get a hire car?"

"This is a very poor region, _chère_, the only tourists who come here are slumming it. If we drive around in a top of the range Buick, we'll be made for sure."

She supposed that made sense.

Though far from perfect, she felt better after using the wipes and was pleased that Gambit had thought to bring clean clothes. She crammed her hair back under the cap, taking more care to hide her streaks this time, then packed her dirty clothes into the backpack.

"Check the bottom," Remy called over. "There's a wallet, ID and passport to get you back to the states."

His back was to her as he ran the wipes over his torso and Rogue took a moment to admire his form. He really was quite a remarkable specimen of manhood. Not quite as muscular as Wolverine, but then she thought he had too much muscle it was a bit of a turn off.

Realising that she was staring, and liable to get caught again, she turned her attention to the backpack. It look her a few minutes of searching through miscellaneous items before she declared "There's nothing in here."

Remy turned her her and smiled. He was still shirtless and she couldn't help but look as he stepped up to her.

"I said the bottom." He took the pack from her and turned it upside down. He ran one finger along a seam and to Rogue's surprise, it came apart, having been held together by Velcro. He fished out two objects and handed them to her with a smug smile on his face.

Rogue blushed. He was a thief after all, she should have thought to look for a hidden compartment.

He went back and pulled a shirt on as Rogue looked through he passport and wallet. Both her Passport and drivers license had a picture of her, though her white streaks had been photoshopped to brunette.

"Where the hell did you get a picture of me, swamp rat?"

"Bayville High," he said with a smile. "It's the one from your student ID.

She looked again and did recognise it.

"And why did you change my hair?"

"Too distinctive" he explained, pulling a shirt on. "You ready?"

Rogue nodded and got into the passenger side as he opened the garage doors. Remy put his coat and the other backpack on the back seat but Rogue kept hers on her lap, determined to look for other hiding places.

Remy smiled as he observed her. There were a few other hidden treats in there, he'd leave her to find them.

As they pulled out of the lock up's, Remy paused to look at someone a little way down the street. Then he noticed a second suspicious man. They were trying to look like everyone else, and they had succeeded in terms of their wardrobe. Unfortunately everything else about them, from their haircut to their posture, screamed military. They didn't seem to notice Remy or the car, so he drove away slowly, observing them in his rear view mirror as they headed down the street.

It could just be a coincidence, he knew, after all they had moved the search out to local towns, but appearing on the same street as them was just too much of a coincidence. He wondered if the drug dealer he'd left the backpack and keys with with had told on them. Then he wondered how he would possibly know who to turn them in to. Maybe Weapon-X's reach was further than Remy had thought and extended to the police or TV. Or they could just have put up missing posters or something, offering a reward for information.

It was impossible to tell but Remy didn't relax until they had left the town limits. Rogue was still busy discovering hidden pockets in the backpack, so thankfully she hadn't noticed.

She discovered the cash, butterfly knife and lock picks fairly quickly, then she found the phone.

"Don't turn it on," he warned. "The GPS is disabled but all phones can be traced to a degree, so no calls until we're sure that we're safe."

Rogue looked tempted to disobey for a moment, then shrugged and put the phone away again.

Next the found a number of small, clear bags, each filled with twenty or so pills and enclosed in a larger clear bag.

"Remy!" she held them up. "Are these drugs?"

"_Oui_." He couldn't help the smirk that formed on his lips. "But don't worry, _chère_, they're prescription stuff. Antibiotics, painkillers, that kind of thing."

"Do you always carry them?"

"When I'm on a job, I do. If a thief is injured, we can't exactly go crawling to the hospital and risk being caught, can we? Let's see how quickly you can find the first aid kit."

Rogue frowned but continued her search. Five minutes later she discovered what looked like a travel sewing kit but opened it to see that it was the first aid kit. It had antiseptic wipes, band aids, suture and thread, as well as a tube of super glue.

"What's this for," she held the glue aloft. "In case you break a nail?" she asked acerbically.

"No," he smirked. "We use it to treat deeper wounds until we can get to a guild doctor."

"You can close wound with glue?"

"The right type of glue, sure."

"So is this like a standard kit?"

"Every guild backpack comes with it," he smiled. "Why, you want one?"

"No!" she said a little too quickly.

Remy's grin widened. "There's just one pocket you missed," he teased. "And what's in there is not standard issue."

When the sun began to set Remy turned off the highway into the nearest town and booked them into a motel overnight. He was confident that they should have outrun the searchers by now.

"One room?" Rogue asked as they unlocked the door.

"If they do catch up with us, I want us to be together." He dumped his backpack on one of the twin beds. "If you don't mind, I'll grab a quick shower first then go and find us something to eat."

She nodded her agreement.

"Don't open the door to anyone while I'm in here, and especially not while I'm out."

"Okay." In truth, she was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed, so she agreed without comment.

Remy came out of the bathroom not five minutes later, looking damp but clean. He closed the curtains and warned her not to open them. Rogue nodded but she hadn't moved since he went into the shower. He made his way over to her and bent down so he was on her level.

"Rogue?"

She finally looked at him.

"You okay?"

She nodded.

"Go take a shower while I'm gone, okay? It helps to keep busy."

Rogue frowned but nodded. Remy went to the door but stayed there and she realised that he wasn't going to leave until she made a move.

"Okay, fine, I'll take a shower!" she got up and grabbed her backpack, rolling her eyes as she did so.

Remy smiled and left but his smile fade a soon as he closed the door. Rogue was going to need some serious therapy to get over what happened to her, but he somehow doubted that she would be a willing patient.

* * *

Rogue felt better after her shower, especially to have clean hair. She would never again take hot water for granted, she decided. She was just brushing her hair, thankful that Gambit had thought to bring shampoo and even conditioner, when he returned.

"How do you like empanadas?" he asked.

"As long as they're not dehydrated, it's a definite improvement on late." She smiled, so he knew she was only teasing.

They ate in silence, both relishing the taste of proper food, then Rogue went back to searching her backpack for the last pocket but couldn't find it.

"I give up," she finally said.

Remy reached over and unzipped the front pocket, then just inside there was another, much finer zip that ran in the opposite direction which he opened. Rogue dove into the pocket as soon as he took his hand away and came out with her prize.

Rogue just stared at it for a few moments.

"I didn't know what type you preferred, but that's Mercy's favourite."

Rogue's eyes began to sting, which was silly really. Considering everything that he'd done for her, a chocolate bar was really the least of it, but it was such a thoughtful gesture.

"Who's Mercy?" she asked, trying to distract herself.

"My sister in law. Why, you jealous?"

"You wish, swamp rat."

"What? You already got a pet name for me," he smiled and though Rogue wished that she could scowl at him. Instead she couldn't help smiling and so had to settle for rolling her eyes instead.

She opened her chocolate bar and lay back on her bed to savour each mouthful. Remy watched her, enjoying her enjoyment.

"So, are you close to your brother?" she asked.

"Closer than my father, if that's what you mean." Realising that he was staring, he lay down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Dad treated us both he same, so we're actually pretty close."

"You bonded over your mutual grievances," she said with a knowing smile, turning to look over at him.

"I guess. Henri's still there though, so I don't get to see him much."

"And Mercy, what's she like?"

Remy smiled as he thought of her. "Your typical southern spitfire. She's blonde haired and beautiful, far too good for the likes of my brother."

"You sound like you've got a little crush there," she teased.

"Well, if I was ever going to go after an older woman, I think I'd choose her."

"Your brother wouldn't mind?"

"Eh, he'd forgive me eventually. Mercy though, she'd kick my ass twelve ways to Sunday." He winked at her. "Seriously though? If I envy my brother anything it's not her as such, it's more what they share."

Rogue turned onto her side, propping her head up on her elbow. Remy mirrored her position.

"What do you mean?"

"They're like this team, there's some kind of unbreakable bond between them. They fight, sure, they have some real doozies sometimes, but even when they're mad at each other, they've still got each others backs, you know?"

Rogue thought of Scott and Jean. "Yeah," she said softly. "I know what you mean."

Remy watched her for a moment. "You still crushing after the Summers boy?"

Rogue looked up sharply. She considered lying for a moment but she knew that she'd been rumbled. "I did have a crush but it's not that I want him any more. It's more like what you said, I envy what they have together." She looked down at her bedclothes and began picking at the material. "It hurts that I'll never have that."

"Who says you won't?"

Rogue just shrugged.

"Rogue?"

She didn't answer for a long while, then she gave a long sigh. "What? You know that no one's gonna want me, Gambit."

"Why ever not?"

Rogue glared at him.

"_Chère_, love has little to do with sex. Believe me, there is someone out there for you, someone who will love you like you deserve to be loved, if you'll let them."

"Yeah, right." Rogue scoffed.

Remy wished that he could go over to her and show her exactly how much he wanted to be that man, but he didn't think he'd be well received.

"You want some?" Rogue said, offering him her chocolate bar.

Considering how much the bar had meant to her, the gesture meant a lot.

"I wouldn't deprive you of your one luxury, _chère_,"

Rogue rolled her eyes, pulled off a chunk and threw it at him.

"Just say thank you, swamp rat."

"Thank you, swamp rat." Remy grinned and popped the chocolatey in his mouth.

"Funny." Rogue smiled, though she did her best to contain it. "You should audition for America's Got Talent," she said, deadpan.

"You're not the first to suggest it, _chère_, but I don't think they consider exuding sexuality to be a talent."

Rogue threw her pillow at him.

"If you wanted to share my bed, all you have to do is ask."

"God, don't you ever stop?"

"I try not to, _chère_." He had meant to to sound humorous but in truth it came out a little sad.

_'Because what happens when the laughter stops?' _Rogue thought, though she didn't say so out loud. She had her defences too. She used her temper and sarcasm, he used his wit and charm. At least his defence mechanism made people smile.

* * *

Rogue awoke in a cold sweat, the smell of antiseptic still stinging her nose, though it was quickly fading now that she was conscious. She took a few deep, shuddering breaths as she tried to calm down enough to get back to sleep. She knew that it was futile though, she had so much adrenalin flooding through her system right now that it would take an elephant tranquilliser to fell her.

No, for the next few hours at least, it would just be her and her thoughts, the awful memories replaying behind her eyes, over and over like some kind of demented DVD. She could talk to some of the personalities in her head, but that was no guarantee that they'd calm her. Many of the new ones had been in the facility with her and so that was a frequent topic of conversation.

"Go back t' sleep, _chère_," came a mumbled phrase and Rogue froze as she realised that she wasn't alone in the bed. Suddenly she could feel something rubbing small circles on her back.

Well at least he wasn't dead.

"Remy's here, I won' let anyt'in' happen to y'. Sshh, 's over now, y' safe."

Rogue suddenly realised that this wasn't a new thing. Remy was hardly conscious and yet he was repeating a string of comforting words, as though he'd done this a hundred times before. She turned her head slowly to see that while he was under the comforter, he was above the blanket, which provided a handy barrier between them.

She realised that maybe he had done this a hundred times before. He was always awake before her after all, so there was no saying definitively where he slept. Plus, she had slept better in the last few days than she could remember since she'd been taken, even though they'd been sleeping in a cave and out in the open. Was that his doing?

She should probably feel shocked and had he been awake, she would have kicked his ass to the the Antarctic and back, but his deep and steady breathing told her that he was asleep again. She realised suddenly that she didn't feel as worked up as she usually did after a nightmare, and that the hand resting on her back was actually rather soothing.

It had been so long since she could remember anyone holding her in any affectionate way, and she'd never dreamed that anyone could be crazy enough to want to share a bed with her. But here she was, sleeping with a gorgeous man.

Since he was asleep, her pride didn't feel too offended, so she turned her head back around and tried to focus on the weight of his hand where it rested in the small of her back. She quickly drifted off to sleep again.

* * *

Reviews are like cookies for the muse :D


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the sweet reviews. Sorry I don't have time to answer individually but thankfully you didn't have questions. Here is the next instalment of Rescue Me for your reading pleasure.**  
**

**Chapter Three**

The next morning, Rogue wasn't exactly surprised to wake up and realise that she was lone in her bed. She sat up and looked to the other side, where all traces that there might have been another occupant had been removed.

She swung her feet out of bed and massaged her temples while she tried to quieten the voices in her head. A few moments later, the bathroom door opened.

"Mornin' _R_ogue," he smiled. "Sleep well."

She lowered her hands and looked up at him. "Not too bad, swamp rat."

"_Bon_."

"Nice to have a real bed again. And pillows, I forgot how much I missed pillows."

"You haven't had a goodnight sleep until you've tried a water bed." He winked.

"I'll put it on my bucket list," she assured him. "Bathroom free?"

"All yours, _chère_."

She smiled to herself as she passed him. If he could fool himself that she didn't know he was sleeping with her, then she could keep letting him do it. It was a win win situation.

Once in the car again, they took off towards the border, but Remy was shocked to note that there seemed to be some kind of military presence as they headed back to the highway. It looked like they were just arriving and setting up, so Remy cruised past them, grateful that they had decided not to stop for breakfast, even though Rogue needed fattening up. If they had been even fifteen minutes later, he had a nasty feeling that they'd be facing a roadblock.

Thank god they had been tired last night and gone to bed early. If he'd been at home and in his usual routine, he would never have seen this hour of the morning!

How were they tracking Rogue? They were far enough away now that the net should be full of holes, unless they had resources that even Gambit hadn't counted on. Could they really have got Rogue's image on television? He'd have to watch the news the next time they stopped, and maybe pick some newspapers up too.

But still, with her white streaks still hidden under her baseball cap, surely she wouldn't be easy to recognise? Those white streaks were the most prominent thing about her image and they caught they eye. Without them, most people wouldn't think her anything other than a _belle femme_. And surely wouldn't relate her to a picture on the news... would they?

He knew that he'd spent an unnatural amount of time studying her and he was pretty sure that he could recognise her from any angle, in any disguise, but surely he was the exception, not the rule.

He thought it over and decided that he was right, it didn't matter how beautiful she was, even if her picture had been released to the press, people shouldn't be recognising her so easily. Still, when they checked into the hotel this evening, she was staying in the car until he had checked in, then going straight to their room.

Of course, people might not be recognising Rogue, there might be something else at work here.

The car could be lo-jacked, however that was highly unlikely. The lock-up where he'd kept the vehicle might have have ridiculously lax security, but Remy wasn't an idiot. To the main doors he's attached three long fibres, no thicker than a hair and almost invisible to the naked eye. All three of those had been in tact when he'd returned, meaning that no one had entered through the front door.

Next was the dust on the floor. It looked just like any other dust and debris, but in fact had been placed there by him. A mixture of concrete dust, fine sand and a little dirt just to give it a natural look. No one would think twice about walking over it, but it would record their footprints almost as well as wet sand. Needless to say, that dust had been undisturbed until they had arrived. Finally there was the position of everything else in the lockup. It was almost instinct to a thief to memorise that kind of stuff, so that you could put things pack perfectly when you were done. Nothing had been moved, not even a fraction of an inch.

He'd stake his life that no one had been in the lock up. Of course, the army dudes he had seen on their way out could have clocked the car and registration, but he had been watching them and they had seemed oblivious to the car.

Suddenly though, he was glad that he'd switched the lisence plates when he'd gone out to get their dinner last night.

So now what?

Well, now he would go the roundabout way, going a little further south before crossing into Argentina and keeping to back roads where he could.

"Does the radio work?" Rogue asked.

"Uh..." he'd never even thought to check but Rogue did so now and soon found a station. He didn't understand much of what the DJ said, but at least half the songs were in English, so it wasn't all bad.

Rogue began to sing along to a song, it was in Spanish but he recognised the tune. He smiled as he glanced over at her. Her eyes were closed as she sang and her hair was gently blowing in the breeze from the open window. She looked radiant, vital, and more beautiful than he could ever remember.

Even considering the circumstances they were in, he decided that life wasn't actually too bad right now.

"_Si voy a perderte ya, que sea por vez final, si voy a perderte ya, es para siempre, entiendes_!"

"I don't wanna lose you now, we're gonna get through somehow, I don't wanna lose you now, forever, and ever!"

Having absorbed a few Spanish speakers, Rogue was singing along to the Gloria Estefan in Spanish. Remy, having no clue what was being sung, preferred to try and sing over Rogue with the English version, which was the only one he knew. This had resulted in war with each of them trying to outdo the other in terms of volume.

Unfortunately Remy didn't know the song very well, even in English, so he was making half of it up as he went along and using some very creative language. Rogue also had a similar problem that she wasn't too familiar with the Spanish version, but she muddled along, when she wasn't cracking up with laughter.

The song ended and they both laughed. Remy reached over and took Rogue's hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing her knuckles.

"You sing like an angel," he told her.

"You're not so bad yourself, Cajun, though your lyrics left a little to be desired."

"My lyrics were perfect!" he tried to sound affronted but failed miserably.

"Yeah, I don't think Gloria Estefan actually sung 'I'll open the safe and steal what's inside'."

"_Non_? Well she should have. Be a much better song then. I have to say though I didn't think Gloria Estefan was really your thing, _chère._"

"Yeah," she smiled. "I guess there's just some songs that you can't escape."

"Like the Macarenna," Remy rolled his eyes. "Man, I hated that song, but it was everywhere!"

"Yeah," she agreed. "At least _Don't Wanna Lose You_ doesn't make you wanna gouge your eyes out."

"So what kind of music do you like?" he asked.

Rogue ran off a list of bands and artists, predictably heavy metal, emo and rock music, but then she began to branch out into some other genre's.

"Next you're gonna try and tell me you like Maria Carey."

"Eww!" she cried. "Please! But if you really want a big bad secret, sometimes, and if you tell anyone this, I will deny it. But sometimes I play a little Billy Joel on You Tube through my headphones."

Remy smiled. "We didn't start the fire," he began to sing, despite a totally different song playing on the radio.

Rogue joined in after a few lines but other than the chorus, they knew few of the words and the rendition soon trailed off.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe, _chère_."

He had lowered their hands but kept a hold of it on the seat between them. Any minute now he expected her to pull away but she didn't, until he had to change down a gear as they went uphill. He reached for her hand again when he had finished, but she had moved it onto her lap. He didn't say anything.

"So, what kind of music do you like?" she asked, though she sounded a little awkward.

"Jazz and blues I guess."

"Michael Bubble?"

She expected him to flat our deny it but he shrugged. "Not on the whole but he's done one or two that I like."

"Wow, I did not expect you to admit that."

Remy flashed her a grin. "Still, the man deserves to be shot for trying to cover Queen."

"You like Queen?" Rogue sat forward in her eagerness to hear his answer.

"Who doesn't?" he smiled. He could see why Rogue would like them. While they were a rock band, they weren't hard rock, of the type she had listed earlier, but equally they had a diverse style. Crucially, they didn't sing only about love. Remy liked love, in fact he thought it was a very fine thing, but even he got sick and tired of every song being about love or sex or relationships. There was so more to life than that. For Rogue, modern music must be an almost painful experience, always being reminded of what she couldn't have.

Queen on the other hand, while they did sing about love they also had songs about friendship, winning, rocking out, women with large posteriors (Remy liked that one) breaking free, having a goal or vision and about carrying on when you really didn't want to. And who the hell knew what _Bohemian Rhapsody_ as about, though _Don't Stop Me Now_ was obvious, even if the lyrics were weird. And that was just to name a few. Such songs must be like a breath of fresh air to Rogue.

"Whats your favourite?" Rogue asked.

Remy turned to look at her for a moment, wondering if he would spoil their moment if he admitted the truth.

"_Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy_ is my personal favourite," he confessed.

Rogue rolled her eyes, though she was still smiling. "I should have seen that coming a mile off," she chastised herself.

"Well _Fat Bottomed Girls _comes a close second. Maybe if we find a karaoke bar, you could give me a rendition, _non_?"

Rogue couldn't help but smile at the idea, even though there was no way, no how that she was ever ever ever doing it. Remy knew that though, which was why he suggested it.

"You gotta nice smile, _chère_, it lights up your whole face. You should smile more often."

And just like that the moment was gone, he'd pushed her too far. He wasn't sure quite what he had done wrong though. Perhaps she had just had enough teasing for one day. Or maybe she was reminded that he was getting a little too friendly. Or as Remy thought most likely, in commenting on her body, however complementary, he had crossed some unspoken 'dating' line. He had to admit that what he said was more something that a boyfriend said rather than a friend, but it was too late to take it back now. Besides, it was the truth.

* * *

Rogue wasn't an idiot and by the time they got to the hotel that evening, she had figured out that Remy was worried. First, he had gone very quiet that morning when they saw the military vehicles. Next, he had changed their route, taking the long way to the border. He hadn't wanted to let her out of the car all day, telling her to stay put while he ran into the gas station for food. He also purchased a number of newspapers, even though he didn't speak Spanish. When she had needed to use the bathroom, she had waited until he returned, then he pulled the car around so that he could see the bathroom door while she went in. Then there was the fact that they'd been driving for 17 hours today. She had offered to relieve him but he insisted that he should drive. Now he had told her to wait in the car while he checked them into the hotel.

They weren't home free yet.

You would think that a goth girl with a temper like Rogue's would demand to know what was happening, but even fiery goth girls are susceptible to fear. Rogue knew what she could make him tell her what was happening but the truth was, she didn't want to know.

What if they were losing? What if Weapon X was closing in on them? What if she was headed right back to that facility for more of the same?

No matter how strong she was, that was simply one fear that Rogue couldn't face yet. She had spent as much of her time there as possible living inside her own head, retreating to a safe place in her mind where she didn't have to face reality, but some things she couldn't escape even there. Pain was one thing that reached her no matter where she went, and there had been so much pain.

Then they began forcing her to absorb people, meaning that her head then became crowded with psyches who had also experienced Weapon X, and it became harder and harder to find a safe place in there too. Then she had been glad for when they put the collar on that neutralised her powers because all those voices were just as terrified as she was, and they only amplified her own fears.

Now that she was free, she had done her best to store the voices away, like the Professor had taught her, but there were so many new voices and she hadn't perfected the technique, so she felt that it was a little like being outside a crowed bar, unable to make out exactly what was being said, but still able to hear the hum of voices and their general mood.

The voices were also anxious.

"You okay, _chère_?"

Remy had returned to the room to find Rogue sitting in the same position as when he left, not really focusing on anything but her fingers trembling, almost as though she had the DT's. She was trapped in the fear, in the past, unable to process what had happened but unable to think of anything else.

He recognised the signs.

"Foods here!" he said a little louder when she hadn't moved. "I found a pizza place so I got a large barbecue chicken, pepperoni and ham and mushroom."

He sat on her bed, being none to subtle about it, and began opening the boxes.

"Three?" she asked, looking at the three large boxes.

"I didn't know what you'd like," he explained. He didn't say that she needed fattening up.

Rogue reached for a slice and Remy handed her a soda can.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I stole a military jet?" he asked, afraid that if he didn't keep her distracted, that she would retreat back into her memories.

"You stole a jet?"

"_Oui_. Me, my brother and my cousin, Emil."

"I don't believe you," she challenged, so Remy told her the whole tale. Maybe he embellished a bit and certainly this was his most theatrical rendition of this story to date, but it kept Rogue entertained and even coaxed a smile from her at times.

By the time he was finished he seemed to have succeeded in distracting her and as he cleared away the boxes, he suggested that they hit the sack. He noticed a shadow of worry cross Rogue's face, but it quickly passed.

* * *

It took another two days of driving until they reached the border into Argentina, which they crossed the next morning. Remy had seen no new signs that they were being followed, nor had he noticed anyone acting suspiciously or staring at them. He hoped that they had finally travelled far enough away to slip Weapon X's net, and he had been slowly relaxing over the past day.

He and Rogue dumped the car, got their false passports out and joined the queue at the border check point. With their few belongings in their backpacks, to which their sleeping bags were also still tied, they looked like typical gap year students, backpacking around the country. Unfortunately the queue was long and not moving very quickly at all, so they both prepared for a long wait.

Remy kept Rogue chatting as they waited, concerned that she would be worried about crossing but as they neared the crossing, it was Remy who became worried. He had been through many border checkpoints in his life, often with ill gotten merchandise in his possession, so he was very familiar with the many different ways they worked. These officers were taking an awful lot of care with each person and searching everyone's personal belongings.

That didn't worry Remy, after all the hidden pockets in the backpacks were very well concealed. What did worry him was that they were making everyone remove any headgear, and that wasn't something that he had encountered before.

"Remy?" He didn't answer her because he didn't know what to sat yet, all he had were suspicions. A few moments later she slipped her hand into his. "Remy?"

He could hear the fear in her voice and looked down at her. As much as he wanted to tell her that everything would be okay, he couldn't be sure.

"Get ready to run," he warned her softly.

Rogue nodded, her eyes wide with fright.

From behind his shades, Remy kept his eyes on the border guards. Those doing the searches were being very through, as though they were looking for something (like a stolen artefact) or someone (like two escaped test subjects). Behind the guards who were searching belongings and questioning everyone were two guards who seemed to be of a higher rank. Mostly they just stood there, occasionally exchanging a word or two with each other.

Remy put his arm around Rogue's shoulder and pulled her to him. He expected her to try and pull way as she wasn't used to being touched, but instead she seemed to realise his intent and turned her head into his shoulder, obscuring most of her face.

The two watchers's eyes kept scanning the queues of people and cars, but Remy couldn't say for sure what they were looking for. He and Rogue were about 50 feet away from the checkpoint when one of their eyes travelled far enough back in the queue to run over them. Since Rogue was shorter, he wouldn't have a very good view of her but just spotting Remy seemed to be enough to spark conversation between the two watchers.

Remy stiffened as one of them pulled a sheet of paper from their pocket and began to unfold it. Even without Rogue's hair and his eyes being visible, they were onto them. The watchers both looked at the sheet, then up to Remy, then to each other as they discussed something that he couldn't hear.

They hailed two other guards to them and began to walk down the line of people waiting to cross into Argentina.

"Time to go!" Remy said, dropping his arm from around her shoulder and taking her hand so that he wouldn't lose her.

They made their way our of the line as nonchalantly as they could but they had not taken three steps when someone called out to them. Remy couldn't be certain, but he was pretty sure it was Spanish for stop, or maybe halt.

Remy, of course, did no such thing, just gripped Rogue's hand tighter and took off running.

They had a lead on the guards and quickly lengthened it, then Remy directed them down side streets and away from the main thoroughfares until they were close to another main road. Remy stopped, removed his trench coat and stuffed it into his backpack. Then they stopped running and began walking along the main road, trying to look like nothing more than a couple of tourists. They were heading in the general direction that they had left the car but before they came anywhere close, Remy spotted two police officers heading towards them.

They tuned down another street but the officers followed. Knowing that they had been rumbled, and that a lot more people were probably on their way, they began running again. Over the next few minutes, it seemed that the entire town had turned against them and everywhere they turned, someone was soon chasing them. Some just seemed to spot them but others seemed to have some kind of technology that they were using to follow them.

Weapon X's reach extended a lot further than Remy had ever guessed.

There were now four people chasing them and managing to keep up, when Remy turned down a dead end. He and Rogue came to a halt as Remy looked to see if they could scale one of the buildings. His blood ran cold when he heard the safety being clicked off a gun. The men following then shouted something, and while Remy didn't know what they were saying, he raised his arms in surender.

He was still looking for an escape as he slowly turned around. He caught Rogue's eye as he turned, trying to convey that their only option was to fight. He didn't know if he'd got the message to her but given the alternative of returning to the facility, he guessed that she would fight too. Although to be brutally honest, Rogue looked so terrified that he wasn't even sure that she could fight, but he had to hope.

The men were still yelling at them but Remy didn't know what they were saying. One stepped forward, his gun still aimed at them, and tried to push Remy to his knees.

Remy fought back, rising back to his feet and landing an uppercut to his stomach. Remy grabbed his gun while he was incapacitated but before he could fire a single shot, the others had opened fire on him.

To his surprise, Rogue threw herself on him, taking the bullets meant for him.

"Rogue!" he cried. Why the hell would she do something so idiotic! Before he could think of any answers for that, she had gathered him into her arms and the next thing he knew, they were flying straight up into the air.

Thankfully they soon levelled off and flew parallel to the ground. For a long time, Remy was too stunned to speak, but he did wrap his arms around her neck and hold tight. They were travelling so fast that he knew they could be miles off course if he let her carry on. Rogue didn't seem to be with him though, she was acting purely on instinct.

"Rogue, it's okay. We're safe now _chère_, you can stop. You can stop."

It took a few tries but eventually she looked at the man she was holding and seemed to realise that she was flying. To his immense, relief, she didn't suddenly fall to the ground or drop him, but after taking a few deep breaths, she slowly eased them down to the ground. As soon as she had let him go, Rogue sank to the ground and began to cry.

Remy put his arms around her and just held her while she cried, murmuring soothing endearments. His own heart was in his throat as he expected her to be covered in blood, but as he rubbed his hands up and own her back, she seemed completely uninjured. That was all he needed to know for now, that she was safe. How she had healed and when she had learned to fly could wait until she was feeling better.

He didn't blame her for crying. They had come so close to being caught and taken back to that hell hole that he felt he could squeeze out a tear or two, even though he'd only been there for one day. Rogue had lived through it for months, and he didn't begrudge her tears one bit.

As she began to calm down, Remy looked around them, wondering exactly where they had ended up. They seemed to be in an industrial warehouse area on the outskirts of a town, which thankfully was pretty quiet at the moment.

Once Rogue had calmed down, she changed her T-shirt, which had some tell tale bullet holes, then they headed towards the town centre.

They finally found out where they were from the street signs, Pirané, and from the comfort of an internet cafe, discovered they they had travelled about 60 miles north east of the border and were now, thankfully, in Argentina.

Remy had thought that once they crossed the border, they would be safe but now he wasn't so sure. Weapon X just seemed to have fingers everywhere and he no longer doubted that they could be pursued across borders.

When they had finished looking on Google maps, they bought a couple of coffees to take with them and walked around the town.

"Rogue, how long would it take your X-Men jet to get here?" Remy asked.

"How far away is New York?"

"Dunno, five or six thousand miles?"

"Then about five hours, four if we're lucky and they push the jet to it's limits."

Remy nodded thoughtfully.

"I thought we couldn't call them?" she asked.

Remy knew he had a lot to explain so he directed her to a park and they sat down on a bench by a pond.

"When someone wants to find you, it's common practice to watch all the phone numbers that you'd normally call. That way, no matter where you call from, they can trace the call. With cell phones, if the GPS is disabled they can't tract to an exact location, but they can tell which cell towers relayed your call."

"So if we call them, Weapon X will know where we are?"

"Within a few hundred or so feet, yeah."

"What about email, or text."

"Any organisation worth their salt would check those too, and I think we've learned that weapon X have the resources to do that too."

"Okay, so we call then hide for a couple of hours until they get here."

Remy let out a long breath.

"It gets worse, Rogue, I... I think they have a tracker on one or both of us."

"A tracker? You mean they LoJacked us?"

Remy nodded. "And since you haven't mentioned any new jewellery, I'm guessing they implanted it."

Rogue gasped and tears pricked her eyes. "So as soon as we make that call, they will not only know where we are, they can track us?"

Remy nodded. "Exactly. We need to get the tracker out before we can make any real progress."

Rogue was silent for a few moments while she processed everything he told her. "How long have you known?"

"I suspected since we picked up the car."

"But why didn't they find us in the cave? I mean, we were right on their doorstep."

Remy shrugged. "Can't say for sure, but maybe the rock was thick enough to shield the signal, or maybe there was metal in the rocks that deflected it."

"So can't we just go and hide in a cave?

"I'm thinking we may have to do something like that. Maybe we can find somewhere here with an underground car park."

"What kind of range does our tracker have?"

"No way to know," Remy shook his head. "But a mile or two at least. Knowing them, maybe five miles."

"That'll be hard to shield," she said thoughtfully.

Remy nodded his agreement.

"So we have to get it out then." Rogue concluded.

Remy took another deep breath.

"Ordinarily, _chère_, I'd agree, but I just saw you get shot and walk away. I'm not sure if a scalpel will penetrate your skin."

Rogue's mouth formed an O, then her eyes began to shine with tears.

"They made me," she said. "They tried to get me to recall absorbed powers but I couldn't, not well, so they made me drain her until she died."

Aware that they were in public and didn't want to make a spectacle of themselves, Remy took her hands in his and squeezed firmly, trying to anchor her to him.

"Who?" he asked.

"Her name was Carol, and she'd been here even longer than me. She resisted more though, fought them at every turn, with or without her powers. They gave gave her the mind control serum before was perfected and it knocked her out. Permanently. When I came along, they decided that it might be better to put her powers in me for good."

"She's invulnerable and can fly, right?" he asked.

"And she had super strength."

"But I saw your cuts and scrapes the other night though. I treated them."

"I had the collar on."

Remy took a deep calming breath and tried to think of their options. If only he had thought to bring the collar that he had removed from Rogue with them, instead of leaving in the cave. He had a few spare ones that he'd stolen to train for this job, but they were back in New Orleans.

"Okay," he took a deep breath. "Call the X-Men," he said. "If they can't get the tracker out, they or your friend, Forge, might have technology to block the signal."

"But they'll find us before the X-Men can get here.

"I don't think we're LoJacked like a car, I think it takes them some time to find us again and we just flew sixty odd miles, so it'll take them a while to catch up."

"And if they do?"

"We'll evade, we'll run, we'll hole up in a panic room somewhere. All I know if that if we keep trying to run on our own, they will find us sooner or later."

Rogue fished the phone out of her backpack and turned it on. Then she dialled in the instituter's phone number and waited for the call to connect. Remy watched as her eyes grew wide again and she handed him the phone. The number was out of order.

"Shit!" Remy exclaimed softly. Would Weapon-X be monitoring an out of order phone line? "You sure the number was right?" he asked.

Rogue nodded. "That's the private line though, there is a public phone number but I can't remember it."

Remy accessed the internet through the phone and found the main number, which he called. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath when he got the same 'out of order' message. He wanted to shout and scream but he couldn't let Rogue see how upset he was. She was relying on him to rescue her, to be the strong one and of he showed weakness, she would be even more afraid.

Rogue had heard the recorded message so she knew that he had been unsuccessful.

"Do you know any cell phone numbers?" he asked.

Rogue shook her head. "A few of us have them but we don't have a fortune, so we didn't use them much."

"Damn." That was far from the curse Remy wanted to utter but he had to try and keep calm.

"Maybe I can just fly us home?" she asked.

"We can be shot at in the sky," he assured her. "Plus, flying people tend to be pretty noticeable. There isn't even any cloud cover we can hide in."

"_Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's the escaped flying mutant_!"

"Exactly," he smiled, pleased at her ability to joke even at a time like this.

"So?" she asked.

Remy checked his watch to see that it was just after noon, then he took her hand and stood up.

"Come on." He said, dialling a number on the phone as they walked.

* * *

I like my reviews like I like my coffee, strong, sweet and creamy. Well actually that's B.S. I'll take 'em anyway I can get 'em!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four**

Remy stole them a car and they drove for the rest of the day, heading east until the sun set. The next town they came to was El Bragado and they drove around, seemingly at random until Remy pulled up outside a vets surgery.

"What are we doing here?" Rogue asked.

"They have X-ray machines, we can see what they put inside of us."

It took Remy about fifteen minutes to break into the surgery and they were pleased to find that the machinery was all quite new and easy to operate. The X-Ray machine was in a windowless room (so they could turn the lights on) and with Rogue's help, he was able to decipher the controls. It was a new machine that produced digital images on a screen, rather than using film that had to be developed.

It didn't take long for him to find the tracker. It was about the size of a lighter, positioned on her back, between her shoulder blades where it was hard for anyone to reach. Rogue came to look at the image but she didn't say anything except, "Your turn."

Remy lay down on the table and knowing where to look, Rogue found his tracker the first time.

"So now what?" she asked as he came to see the image.

"Now I guess we have to see if your skin is really impermeable."

"It is," Rogue sighed. "They tested it and... and they couldn't... they couldn't cut while i had my powers."

"I'm sorry, _chère_." Remy put his arm around her shoulders.

"Not your fault," she said, slipping out from under his arm and wiping at her eyes before her tears could fall. "So, do you want me to try and get yours out?"

"You want to?" he asked, wishing that she would turn to face him so he could try and read her expression.

"I wouldn't say that, but at least one of us will be free."

"You will be free too, _chère_." He came up behind her, his hands hovering over her shoulders but afraid to touch her. "As soon as we get one of my spare collars, we can get yours out too."

She wheeled around then and left the room. Remy didn't know what had upset her, the mention of the collar, the fact that Henri was picking them up instead of the X-Men, or the fact that she was chipped like a dog, but whatever was troubling her, she was hurting and he couldn't help her.

He sighed deeply then followed her out into the hallway. She hadn't left like he expected, but was next door in one of the treatment rooms, rummaging through the cupboards, drawers and her backpack.

"Lay on the table," she said.

Remy looked at the treatment table, where dogs and cats and God only knew what else, sat to be examined. He didn't much like the idea. Since Rogue had to remain chipped, it didn't much matter if his was removed yet or not and all things considered, he would rather wait until he was back in New Orleans, where he had the facilities and medicines to do this properly.

"Do you want an anaesthetic?" Rogue asked.

An animal anaesthetic? "Uh, no, thanks."

So far it had been Rogue relying on him, trusting in him. If he did this now, he would be showing his faith in her for a change. He pulled his shirt off and lay face down on the table, though his legs, from the thighs down, hung over the edge.

Rogue finished getting her supplies and Remy was pleased to see that everything seemed to be wrapped in a sterile packets. She set everything up, then pulled on some latex gloves and felt around on his back until she could feel the tracker.

Remy closed his eyes and tried to enjoy the feeling of her touching him, something that very few people ever got to experience, with or without gloves. Her fingers were firm but hesitant and although there was nothing sexual about her touch, he felt the loss when she stopped.

He waited for the feel of the scalpel but nothing happened.

"Are you sure?" Rogue asked, her voice uncertain. "We don't have to do this now."

Remy twisted around until he could look into her eyes.

"I trust you," he assured her, giving her a friendly smile.

She smiled in reply so he lay back down. Moments later he felt something cold and wet, then the sting of the scalpel as it slipped into his flesh. He gritted his teeth. He wouldn't cry out and risk upsetting her, he wouldn't! His hands gripped the sides of the table with all his might, then the next thing he knew, the scalpel was gone and something was digging into his back.

Though his jaw was clenched shut, he couldn't stop a muffled cry escaping him, but thankfully Rogue was so intent on her task that she didn't seem to notice. Next he felt a pulling sensation, as though she were trying to pull part of him out. He felt tearing, then finally nothing but a throbbing ache as something metallic dropped was dropped onto something else.

Remy relaxed and took a moment to take some deep breaths.

"Should I use the glue or the stitches?" she asked.

"Both." If they were going to run again, the glue alone probably wouldn't be enough.

He felt her swab the blood, then he felt the glue being dropped into the wound and the edges being held together. Next he felt the needle as it dragged through his skin. It hurt, but nothing like previously. Finally he felt something wet and cool on his skin again, then a dressing being stuck to his skin.

"There, all done," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

Remy twisted so he was sitting on the table, his legs dangling over the edge. Rogue wouldn't meet his eyes and he wished that he could just reach out and tilt her chin up.

"Thank you, Rogue," he said sincerely.

Something in his tone made her look up at him and she smiled.

"I hope it didn't hurt too bad."

Now that it was over, Remy could smile about it. "Believe me, I've had a lot worse, and Henri ain't got nearly the bedside manner that you do, _chère_."

For a moment, Remy just got lost in her eyes, feeling the suicidal urge to kiss her overwhelm him. He leaned in closer but stopped immediately when he saw her eyes brimming with tears.

"_Chère_?" he felt awful. How could he contemplate kissing her at a time like this? Didn't she already have enough on her plate, to then be reminded that she could never kiss? There was no other explanation; he was an idiot.

He noticed that her hands were trembling, then her whole body became wracked with shakes and suddenly she burst into tears. Her legs gave out but he caught her and lowered them both to the ground.

"_Chère_, what's wrong?" he asked as he cradled her against them.

"I can't do it any more, Remy. I'm tired," she told him between sobs. "I'm tried of running, I'm tired of being afraid, and I'm _so_ tired of being used! They're never gonna leave me alone and even if they did, someone else would just come along and try to use me for my powers."

"Ssh, that's not gonna happen any more, _chère_."

"Why not? There's a whole list of people just lining up to use me. Mystique, Magneto, the Brotherhood, Apocalypse, Weapon X, hell, even you. Sometimes I think that the only reason the Professor keeps me around is because my power is handy for the team. Why do I have to be the one to wake Apocalypse up? And to put him back to sleep again? Why does it always have to be me!"

"I'm not going to let it happen again," he assured her, rubbing soothing circles on her back as he spoke. "I promise."

"Ha!" she snorted. "You're the one who used me to find your father, remember? Why couldn't you have just told me the truth! Why couldn't you have been honest? Why scheme, lie and manipulate me?"

"Because I wasn't thinking straight," he answered calmly. "I was worried and I didn't think that an X-Man would help a low life like me. Believe me, if I could do it again, I'd do it differently but I can't, so you're just gonna have to choose if you want to believe me."

"Like anyone ever gives me a choice! You're only here now 'cos you think you owe me something!"

Remy had seen a lot of different sides to Rogue before, but he had never seen her vulnerable like this. It both warmed his heart that she trusted him enough to show him this side of her, and sickened him because he was part of her problem; he _had_ used her.

He didn't answer Rogue's comment and eventually she looked up at him, into his eyes, as though she could find the truth there. Her tears were beginning to slow, meaning that her hysteria was hopefully passing.

"I am sorry, Rogue. More sorry than you'll know."

She looked into his eyes for a few moments longer, then she leaned into him. Putting her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest.

"I didn't mean it," she told him. "I don't blame you, I know you were only trying to help your father."

"It was still wrong," he admitted, stroking her hair gently as he held her.

"I'm so tired," she said softly.

"Then sleep, _chère_. I'll take care of you."

"Thank you, Remy, for everything."

"You're more than welcome." He held her like that until she fell asleep.

It's not easy to get to your feet while carrying a fully grown woman and if he'd been anyone other than Gambit, he probably couldn't have done it. Thankfully he was just about able to get to his feet and out to the car without waking her.

He went back into the surgery and set about cleaning up as quickly as he could. Hopefully, no one would even realise they'd been there and if they did miss a few gauze pads, he prayed they'd chalk it up to bad stocktaking rather than a theft. He considered tossing the tracking device away but decided against it. Rogue still had hers implanted, so losing his wouldn't help them right now anyway. And if he held onto it, maybe he'd get a chance to lead Weapon X astray.

He put it into one of the now empty sterilisation bags then stored it in his backpack. Finally he took the bag of pills out of his backpack and took two antibiotics, just in case Rogue had introduced any infection when she removed the tracking device.

Finally he turned out the lights and headed out to the car. He didn't know where they were heading exactly, other than south west, but he kept driving until the sun rose.

For the next two days Rogue and Remy kept driving, stopping only to sleep when they had no choice. On the second day, Remy called his brother again. They seemed to talk of inconsequential things which irritated Rogue but as he hung up, he smiled.

"How come you can call your family but I couldn't call mine?" Rogue griped, ignoring the fact that she _had_ tried to call them. "Why aren't they watching your phones too?"

"Because they don't know who I am," he explained. "I was carrying false ID when they captured me and I gave them the mutant name Dodge."

"But your powers, your eyes, surely they know who you are?"

"I only charged things enough to set them on fire, not explode, and when I was captured I was under an illusion spell that made my eyes look normal."

"You can do that?" she asked.

"Not personally, but I know a Houngan, a vodou practitioner, who can give me that ability."

"But I could see your eyes, they were red and black."

"Because I let you see through the illusion. Trust me, _chère_, until we were in the cave, when the spell wore off, everyone else thought I had brown eyes."

"Wow," Rogue didn't know much about magic, but it sure sounded pretty handy.

"I didn't want to call home unless I had to, just in case they had discovered who I really was, but Henri and I have been talking in code anyway, so even if they were listening in, they'll just know our location, they couldn't understand what we said."

Rogue frowned. For some reason, his thoroughness offended her.

"He'll be here in twelve hours," Remy continued. "We're meeting at the airport in Mercedes and he'll fly us home."

"He can fly?"

"Did you forget the stolen jet story, _chère_?" he smiled. "Yes, he can fly. He's coming in a private jet under a false name, so the authorities won't know we were on that flight until it's too late."

"Then what?" Rogue asked.

"We'll have to stop to refuel on the way but other than that, he's taking us straight back to New Orleans."

"But they'll just track me there eventually."

"He's also bringing one of my spare collars so that I can turn your powers off and remove your tracking device."

Rogue went pale and swallowed.

"It's okay, _chère_, we don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, no I want to." Her eyes filled with tears.

"Don't think about it," Remy advised. "As soon as we're in New Orleans we can find out what happened to your friends. Just think about getting home, okay?"

Rogue nodded, pleased by that thought.

They parked about a mile from the airport and broke in by cutting the fence. It was already dark, so they got to Henri's plane with few problems. Henri greeted Remy with a hug and warm smile.

"What've you gone and got yourself into now?" he asked, though his tone was teasing.

"You know me, Henri, just can't resist a _belle femme_."

"And this be the _femme_?" he asked, releasing his brother and turning to Rogue.

"_Oui_. Henri, this is Rogue. Rogue, this is my brother, Henri. Don't believe anything he says."

"_Enchanté._" Henri took her gloved hand and bent over to kiss her knuckles.

"It's nice to meet you." Rogue smiled politely. "I can see where Remy gets his charm."

"I taught him everything he knows," Henri said with a wide grin.

"Yeah, the sum of which was to always pick up the tab and never be late." Remy joked, then he turned serious. "Did you bring what I asked for?" he asked his brother.

Henri nodded and pointed to a cardboard box which Remy opened. He puled out one of the power inhibiting collars and Rogue gasped.

"I don't think you have to wear it," Remy assured her. "As long as you hold it, it should still work."

Rogue was staring at the collar, suddenly looking very pale and pasty.

"We don't have to do this now," Remy assured her. "But the sooner we get it out, the sooner we'll be free."

Rogue was still looking at the collar, her eyes wide. Remy handed the collar to Henri and stepped up to Rogue.

"_Chère_, did you hear me?" He took hold of her shoulders to make sure that she heard him. "Look at me, Rogue."

She finally pulled her gaze away from the collar and focused on Remy.

"You don't have to wear it, just hold it, understand?"

"Hold it?"

"Yeah, that's all, but we can wait if you don't feel up to it."

Rogue shook her head. "I want it gone."

"You're sure?"

Rogue nodded. "Get it out of me."

"Okay." He gave her his most reassuring smile. "Take your shirt off and lay on the floor," he told her gently.

"Shouldn't we get in the air first?" Henri asked.

"No, I don't want to slip if there's turbulence."

"Do you want me to leave?" Henri asked, feeling uncomfortable.

"Stay for a while, you won't see anything you shouldn't," Remy answered with a smirk.

Rogue pulled her T-shirt off and, holding it protectively in front of her, lay down in the isle of the plane. Being a private plane, these were much wider than usual.

Remy snapped latex gloves from the box on, then closed the collar and placed it on the floor in front of Rogue.

He didn't say anything but simply waited for her to take hold of it. After a few moments, she brought her hands up and grabbed it. Remy let out the breath that he'd been holding.

"I'm going to give you a few injections," Remy explained. "Just a local anaesthetic. That okay?" He hoped so because he did not want her feeling the pain he had when she removed his tracker.

After a moment or two, she nodded her head. "I trust you," she said so softly that he almost didn't hear her.

Remy uncapped the needle, broke the seal on the anaesthetic bottle and filled the syringe. He looked down at her and could see her gripping the collar so hard that her knuckles had turned white.

He put the syringe aside and felt around in her back until he found the tracker. He undid her bra strap, then used an alcohol wipe to clean the area.

"Three small jabs," Remy told her as he picked up the syringe. He gave her the injections as quickly and painlessly as he could and was relieved when the needle penetrated her skin. He wasn't sure she could handle wearing the collar again so he was glad that holding it had worked.

"It'll take a minute to kick in," he explained, gently rubbing the area. "Just try to relax." With his other hand he rubbed soothing circled on her lower back, much like he did when she was asleep. It occurred to him that without her powers, he could take the latex gloves off, and he did so long to feel her skin, but she was worried and that would probably only freak her out.

After a few moments, Remy ran his finger from her neck and down. "Tell me if it's working." he said.

Rogue couldn't feel the anaesthetic kicking in until Remy ran his finger down her back, then she noticed that the sensation stopped for a moment, then picked up again a little lower down.

"It works," she assured him.

She had loved the feeling as he rubbed her back and had tried to focus all her attention on that sensation. She wished that he would touch her without the gloves but she knew that it was a pipe dream. Remy didn't think of her like that. No one who knew of her mutation did. It would be nice though, just to imagine for a few minutes.

She closed her eyes and allowed her imagination to wonder.

Remy cut into her skin using a cauterizer so that there wasn't much blood, working as quickly as he could. He'd had some practice with patching people up before so he wasn't too hesitant. She didn't hiss or even tense up as he worked and he was glad for it; he wasn't sure he could continue if he hurt her.

Moments later, he had the tracker in his hand. He wiped it off on a dressing, then handed it to Henri.

"There's another one in my backpack," he explained. "Take it and plant them on someone?"

"You want me to put something in a pocket?" he asked with a smile on his face as he headed for the aeroplane door. "I think you've been out of the guild too long, we pick-pocket's, Remy, we don't put stuff in 'em."

Remy smiled at his brother's joke and got back to work. Thankfully there wasn't too much blood. Like she had done with his wound, he used glue and stitches to make sure that it healed the best it could. When he was done, he looked down at her pale skin and something akin to madness overcame him. He knew he was taking advantage of her, he knew his action might not be welcome, but he just couldn't resist. This might be his only chance. Ever.

Against all his better judgement, he leaned down and placed a kiss just to the side of her wound. Kissing it better would be his excuse, though even he knew she wouldn't fall for that. His lips hovered over her skin, savouring the exquisite softness of it. He felt her stiffen for a moment and expected a torrent of abuse as he pulled away, but it never came.

He placed a dressing over the wound, acting as though nothing had happened, then did her bra strap up again.

"All finished. You're free," he told her, turning away so that she could have some privacy to put her top back on. He put everything back in the box and by the time he was done, Rogue was dressed again.

"Thank you," she said as he turned back to her. She had tears shining in her eyes.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, mortified at the possibility.

"No," she shook her head. "It's just... I don't know, I feel like... like this is the first time since this whole ordeal started that I really believe that it... it might finally be ending!"

Remy took her in his arms, careful not to touch her skin since her T-Shirt was short sleeved.

"It is ending," he assured her. "You are free and I'm going to make sure that you stay that way."

Rogue hugged him back, squeezing so tightly with her new powers that it bordered on painful.

"Thank you so much, Remy. I couldn't have done any of this without you."

"And I wouldn't have had nearly as much fun without you, _chère_."

Rogue pulled away, laughing and wiping at her eyes.

"You done?" Henri asked from the doorway.

"We're done," Remy assured him, stepping away from Rogue. "How long until we can get into the air?"

Henri signalled to someone outside to remove the stairs and he closed the door.

"We're already refuelled, so about fifteen minutes. I put the trackers on another private jet heading to French Guiana. Not unreasonable that a Cajun would be heading there, _non_?"

"_Bonne idée_." [Good idea] "Now, let's get this bird in the air, we've been standing still for so long that I'm starting to get nervous."

"_Tes désirs sont des ordres, ____mon frère__." [Your wish is my command, brother]_

"Do you guys always speak in French when you're together?"

"_Pardon,_ _chère_, old habits die hard. We didn't mean to make you feel excluded."

Rogue grinned. "Vous n'avez pas. J'étais curieux, c'est tout ce que." [You didn't. I was curious, that's all]

"Guess we can't have any secrets from you then, _chère_." Henri chortled as he headed to the front of the plane.

Remy's smile dimmed at Henri's words but Rogue didn't notice.

"Settle in," Remy said "It's gonna be a long flight and we haven't had much sleep lately." Remy sat down next to Henri and began to help him with his pre flight checks.

Rogue settled into one of the four seats in the rear of the plane and made herself comfortable.

"There's iceboxes with food in the overhead lockers." Henri said. "Help yourself to whatever you want, Tante sent plenty."

When Rogue didn't answer, Remy turned around to check on her but she was already sound asleep.

Henri turned back too and smirked at his brother. "Looks like you really wore this one out, Remy. You gotta learn to go easier on them!"

Remy smiled at the good natured jibe.

"Don't worry, Henri, I'll be sure to tell Mercy that you were drooling over Rogue."

* * *

Rogue awoke to find a pair of strong arms carrying her off the plane.

"Are we there already?" she asked.

"Aren't you supposed to ask 'are we there yet?'." Remy answered with a smile.

"Only when I want to annoy you."

"Yes, we're here. You slept the whole way."

Rogue blushed.

"If it helps, I did too. I woke up when we landed to refuel and Henry had to wake me after we landed here."

"And where is here?"

"The Big Easy, _chère_."

They had flown through the night and it was now early morning.

"I suggest we hit the shops real quick, get some groceries, few more clothes of you, then head to my apartment."

"Okay. But I think you're gonna have to put me down at some point."

Remy gave a start, as though just realising that he was still carrying her. "Well, would you look at that. Guess it just feels like you were made for my arms."

Rogue blushed again and playfully swatted his shoulder. She grimaced when she saw him flinch, though he tried to hide it.

"Sorry! I'm still not used to these new powers."

Remy smiled. "No problem, _chère_. Remy willingly be your punching bag."

"Thanks." she smiled again.

Finally Remy set her back on her feet as he directed her to the front of the airport. He took her gloved hand and placed it on his elbow.

"When we get back to mine, we'll see what we can find out about Xavier's place. I've got TV and internet, plus a few back doors into government computers, so we should be able to dig up something."

She was a little ashamed to admit that she hadn't thought of them. Well she had only just woken up to find herself in the arms of Remy 'Chippendale' LeBeau, so she felt she could be forgiven for the oversight.

"Sounds good."

He led her outside and into a cab.

"Isn't Henri coming with us?"

Remy smiled but it was a little too sad to be real.

"Henri lives at the mansion with _notre Père_." [Our father] "He said to tell you that it was lovely meeting you and he hoped that you enjoy your stay in New Orleans and that you get home safely."

"That's nice of him."

"And don't worry about our things, Henri's having them dropped off at my place later.

Remy didn't tell her that he also teased Remy mercilessly about having fallen in love. And almost laughed his head off when he realised that Rogue couldn't touch. There were some things that she was better off not knowing.

* * *

**AN:** I'm sorry to say that the next chapter might be a while, I'm fairly busy at the moment and to be frank, this story isn't very popular. Maybe everyone's too busy watching the Olympics or something. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed chapter four.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Thank you all for your encouraging messages, I had no idea so many people were reading and enjoying this. I'm sorry I cant reply to you individually, but i really am run off my feet. Maybe this will make up for it. Chapter 5 was about 3/4 written and I've made a special effort to finish it in time for the weekend. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Though Remy usually despised such places, they went to Wallmart to shop since everything would be under one roof, including clothes for Rogue. Remy kept his apartment topped up with food but perishables always needed to be bought fresh, so while Rogue looked through the clothes, Remy navigated the isles getting bread, butter, meats and anything that else they might need or want, like chocolate. He expected to be finished long before Rogue but she found him while he was browsing the cooked meats isle.

"You done already?" he asked eyeing the few items she had over her arm. It seemed she'd chosen three long sleeved t-shirts, one pair of jeans and some leather gloves. Where she found gloves at this time of year he didn't know but surely given free reign, Rogue should have been in and out of the changing rooms a dozen or more times. It didn't even look like she'd tried anything on at all.

"I just need enough until I get back to the institute."

"You sure? I told you to go wild. I know that's kinda hard to do in Wallmart but-"

"Remy, first of all, my wardrobe requirements are kind of specific and second of all, I don't have any money."

"You've got five hundred in your backpack," he said, realising that while he'd taken the money from both backpacks, he had forgotten to give hers to her. He fished his wallet out and handed over five crisp 100 dollar bills.

"That's still your money."

"So pay me back when you get home." He had no intention of taking her money but he knew that would end her protests. "Now come on, those clothes you picked don't even look like you."

He headed for the clothing section and Rogue had little choice but to follow after him. He quickly found some tank tops like she usually wore and threw three into the cart, then he found a black miniskirt. He had to guess at the size but Remy was good at things like that. He got three again. Then he moved onto the pantihose and picked out her normal opaque black, adding a couple of pairs of flesh toned ones, just for a change.

She looked mortified as she followed after him but she wasn't trying to stop him. He knew people were staring at him but he ignored them. Rogue seemed to be having a much harder time, which was out of character for her. Normally Rogue would tell them to take a picture as it would last longer, not bow her head and ignore them as she was doing.

To spare her blushes, he left her with orders to buy more underwear while he checked out the rest of the clothing.

Her mesh tops proved a little harder to match but he was able to find a couple of sheer blouses that she could wear over the tank tops, plus some very loosely knitted, thin sweaters. Finally he stopped by the shoes and looked over the selections. Being summer, there were no heavy Doc martin type boots of the kind Rogue usually favoured, but then he didn't much like those anyway. Finally he choose two pairs of ankle books that weren't too out of style for her, one had a slightly higher heal than the other.

He went back to find Rogue and passed the makeup section. He wasn't sure what she used but he did know her colours, so he chose the right colours in the most expensive brand they had. He bought a black khol eyeliner, black mascara, purple eyeshadow and lipstick, white highlighter and a few shades of nail varnish. Her complexion was good enough that he didn't think she'd need foundation or powder.

Rogue was still perusing the underwear section when he found her. She had picked out one bra and a three pack of panties.

"_Chère_, you're never gonna feel good about yourself in those," he said, snatching the bra out of her hands to see the size.

He then picked up three satin bra and panty sets in dark blue, burgundy and black.

"There, that should last you a while." He headed off to the checkouts, not giving her a chance to argue.

She was sullen as they went through and tried to insist on paying but Remy wouldn't hear of it.

"I chose them, I buy them," he said, pointing to the pile of T-shirts and jeans she had picked for herself, which he had left in the cart. "You can buy those if you really want to."

She did, though she didn't look happy about it.

Once finished, they hailed a cab to take them to Remy's apartment and thankfully, the cab driver gave them a hand inside with all their bags.

Remy's apartment was on Chartres Street, on the ground floor of an old complex and his front door led off a charming courtyard. The place was smaller than she imagined but very homey and welcoming.

"So where are we?" Rogue asked as they began unpacking in the kitchen.

"Just off the French Quarter.

"I thought you'd live in the Quarter."

"The Quarter is neutral territory, this is the Thieves territory," he shrugged. "It's always best to live where your enemy can't get you,"

"The rippers can't come here?"

"Nope, not without fear of reprisals."

That made Rogue feel better.

While he thought of it, Remy rummaged in his drawers until he found a map of new Orleans and a marker pen. He began drawing a line around the French Quarter, then extended the line north west from there. He put cross-hatches through the lower/western side.

"The darkened area is the rippers territory. Do not go in there. They are vicious and cruel and if you get into any trouble, I can't come and get you, got it?"

Rogue nodded. She wasn't staying around long enough to want to go there anyway.

"The Quarter is neutral so you can go there and officially neither side is allowed to cause any trouble, but keep your wits about you. The rest belongs to the Thieves, so if you run into any trouble, just ask for Henri."

"Why not you?"

"Cos then my father will get involved and I know he's already interested in your powers. Keep it simple, say you're a friend of Henri's."

"Won't his wife mind strange women claiming to be his friend?"

"_Chère_, I don't think anything could drive a wedge between those two, but you're welcome to try." Remy chuckled at the thought.

Rogue smiled then continued unpacking their food while Remy put it away. He briefly ran through what was in the cupboards that she was likely to use and told her to help herself. Then he showed her to a small bedroom that looked like it was decorated for a child.

"Will you be all right in here?" he asked. "I'd take this room but the beds a little small for me."

"I'll be fine," she assured him, slightly sad that he wouldn't be crawling into bed beside her any more. She dumped her bags on the bed then followed him out.

"Towels and linen in here, bathroom's here, don't worry about using all the hot water, there's plenty, and this is my room." He opened the last door and Rogue felt an odd thrill as she looked into his bedroom. She probably shouldn't, she was sure that hundreds of women before her had seen this place, but even that thought couldn't dampen her thrill.

It was nice, old fashioned, like the house but welcoming and surprisingly simple for someone like Remy.

"What, you wondering where I keep the chandelier to swing from?" he teased.

Rogue blushed.

"You're probably dying for a shower so I'll put some coffee on and make us some lunch. Come through when you're done."

Rogue wasn't really sure how she felt about having looked around his home, but it certainly wasn't what she had expected. This was no bachelor pad, no love palace or den of iniquity. In fact it even had a kids bedroom, though she assumed that he just hadn't gotten around to redecorating it yet.

Rogue tore the labels off her new clothes then headed into the shower. The tub was an old fashioned one with claw feet, but thankfully the shower mounted on the wall above it was new and powerful. She was surprised to note that there were women's products in here and of all things, No More Tears baby shampoo! Maybe the child's room wasn't a left over. It wouldn't surprise her if Remy did have a kid, but if so he never spoke about her. And obviously he or she didn't live here full time so maybe he was a part time dad.

She didn't know how she felt about that revelation either. Everything was all so confusing.

Back in her room she looked over the items she had purchased and, grudgingly, accepted that Remy's choices were nicer than her jeans and T-shirts. She dressed in the black underwear, pantihose and miniskirt but left off the tank top, covering her bra with a sheer green blouse he had chosen for her. It was a little frilly for her tastes but it would do.

She looked through her makeup, wondering if she could remember how to apply it. It had to be three months or more since she had worn any. Afraid of making a fool of herself, she kept it light with just a thin line under her eyes, mascara and eyeshadow.

When she went back into the main room, Remy had set his laptop up on the table and was munching a sandwich while he worked. He looked over and smiled as she entered.

"You look beautiful, _chère_."

Rogue blushed.

"Here." He pointed to another plate on the table which was covered in saran wrap, then a third plate. "And Tante baked us cookies. They're not as nice as when they're warm, but I'll bet they're still the best cookies you've ever had."

Rogue smiled and unwrapped her plate.

"Who is Tante Mattie?" she asked.

"Technically, a servant in my fathers house. Unofficially though, she was like a mother to Henri and me. Well, the only mother we really had."

"What happened to your adopted mother?"

"Don't know. She died before I was adopted, shortly after Henri was born but Jean-Luc doesn't like to talk about it. I don't think even Henri knows much about her."

"I'm sorry."

Remy smiled. "Can't miss what you never had, _chère_."

"Sure you can," she said softly. She had never had a real mother but seeing those lucky few mutants at the institute who's parents did care about them, she now knew exactly what she had been missing.

"Maybe," he agreed. "But it won't do you any good."

Rogue nodded and played with her sandwich. "Remy?"

He looked up from the screen again.

"Not hungry?" he noticed she hadn't touched her sandwich except to play with it. "I can make you something else, or you can. Your choice."

"It's not the sandwich," she said softly, placing it back on the plate. "Do you... Well... Who's room am I sleeping in?"

"Sarah's."

As she peered at him through her lashes, she thought she could detect the hint of a smile on his lips. She didn't like being laughed at and that finally gave her the confidence to ask what she really wanted to.

"Do you have a child, Remy?"

"Not exactly. She's my responsibility, but not my biology."

"Oh."

Remy decided to put her out of her misery.

"Sarah's a mutant like us, and like me, she has a visible mutation. She lived underground most of her life, hiding in the shadows. There was a whole group of them, kinda like the Morlocks you got in New York, but New Orleans is too low to have tunnels underneath it, like New York does. They hid the same way I used to, in disused places, venturing out after dark. I guess that made them easier to spot."

"How did you meet her?

"I was casing a job one night in the warehouse district when I heard gun shots, then all this shouting and screaming began to ring out. I ran to the noise but I was too far away to be of any real help. Mutants attacking humans, humans shooting mutants, dead bodies everywhere. I didn't know who started it, but the humans were well armed, so I had an idea. By the time I got close, the fight seemed to be over and the few humans who were alive were burning rubber out of there.

"Then I heard a whimper. Sarah had hidden behind a dumpster. She was basically okay, just a few scrapes and bruises, so I brought her home with me. You'll get to meet her later. Tante Alice, looks after her when I'm out of town, but I couldn't pass through without seeing her."

"Oh my God! What about her mother?"

"She was living with the group too. No one but Sarah survived."

"So you just took her in?"

"Why not. She was 5 years old, with a visible mutation and no parents. I'm not her father, Rogue, nor does she want me to be. That girl has more trust issues than both of us combined, I'm just trying to do right by her. Show her that not everyone will abandon her or leave her or die."

"I know but..."

"What would you have done, left her at the mercy of the state?"

"No! I just..."

"You didn't expect that from me." His voice was no longer warm. "Don't worry, _chère_, I get it."

"No, I didn't mean-"

"Forget it. I found out what happened to your friends." Any ideas he'd had for breaking it gently were forgotten. "The mansion exploded."

Rogue gasped and clasped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, are they all right?" her voice was muffled by her hand but he could understand her. He felt a little bad about being so harsh with her now.

"Don't know, _chère_. There's no record of any survivors but equally, they didn't find any bodies."

"We have to get back there!" Rogue got to her feet.

"And what if this is more mutant haters?" he was back to being harsh, afraid that she would rush headlong into something she didn't understand. "Or the government or Trask trying to wipe you all out? You go waltzing in there and you just painted a big old target on your back, _Rogue_."

Deflated, Rogue sat back down with a thud. "I have to find them."

"And we will. For now, just try to remember that they didn't find any bodies, okay?"

Rogue nodded.

"I'll find the X-Men, then we'll go to them, not the mansion."

"How will you find them?" she asked.

"Don't know yet. I'm reading through the police reports, hopefully I'll find some contact details but if I don't, I'll use the Thieves' network, send out word of who I'm looking for, and if that doesn't work, there's always classified ads."

"Classified ads?"

Remy smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "We Thieves often communicate through personal ads. '_Handsome red-head Cajun seeks 6' blonde for short term fun, maybe more. Hopefully they'll share my passion for royal history, gemstones and travelling_'. That means Remy LeBeau needs the help of a blond thief, in this case it would be the 6' tall, blond, Dominic, to steal a royal gem from oversees. Short term contract but if we work well together, we might do it again. Then I just sit back and wait for word to get to Dom and him to call me."

"Wow. I will never look at personal ads the same way again."

"There's other ways. Sometimes we put an ad in the job vacancies, if it's important we'll take an ad in the front of the paper, depends on the job, but the lonely hearts classified are usually free, so we stick with them mostly."

Before Rogue could respond, the front door opened and a girl of perhaps six ran in.

"Remy!" Her eyes lit up when she saw him and the shrew herself into his arms. He settled her onto his lap and held her tightly, seemingly ignoring the small bony protuberances that were digging into him.

"I missed you," Sarah said.

"I know, _petite_, I missed you too."

"Promise you won't go away again?"

"You know I can't do that, _chère_. Soon I'm gonna have to take this pretty lady home, and she don't live close to us."

Sarah finally pulled out of the hug and turned to Rogue. There was now a forth presence in the room, one who had actually bothered to close the door behind herself.

"Tante," Remy beckoned the older woman forward with a smile. "Time for some introductions, _non_? Tante, Sarah, this is Rogue, a friend of mine. Rogue, this is Tante Anna, my Tante Mattie's cousin and Sarah's nanny, and this is Sarah."

"Pleased to meet you." Rogue stood up and leaned over the table to shake hands with the older woman, but Sarah had tucked her head into Remy's shoulder.

Sarah appeared to have pink hair and odd, lumpy shapes all over her body. Tante Anna looked to be in her 30's but her eyes spoke of a longer life, or at least a wisdom beyond her years.

"You too, child." Anna shook Rogue's hand firmly.

"Rogue won't hurt you, petite," Remy tried to reassure Sarah. "She's like us, a mutant."

Sarah looked up at him. "She doesn't look like a mutant."

"Not all mutations are visible, you know that. But Rogue is still one of us. Be nice to her, _hien_?"

Sarah looked over at her, though she was still nervous.

"It's very nice to meet you, Miss Rogue."

"Just Rogue, and it's nice to meet you too, Sarah. I love your hair."

A self-conscious hand went up to her pink locks. "I like yours too," Sarah said. "Do you die it? Remy won't let me die mine."

"Your hair is gorgeous, and Remy's right that you shouldn't die it. My hair is natural too, but it used to make me self-conscious when I was younger. People used to stare at me."

"Do they still?" Sarah asked.

Rogue nodded. These days it was hard to tell how much was because of her goth look and how much was because if her hair but either way, they still stared.

"I ignore them now. I like my hair, and that's all that matters."

"But I don't like my hair."

Rogue realised that Sarah may be young but she was sharp, and trying to use Rogue to change Remy's mind.

"I didn't at your age either, and I'll bet Remy didn't like his eyes at your age, but you have to give yourself time to get used to it."

"Why? I can dye it. Lots of old people dye their hair."

"True, but if you changed everything about yourself to fit in with other people, who will you be? Just a clone of someone else? Then what happens when people don't like something about you that you can't change?"

Sarah pouted.

"You know you are _belle, mon mignon_." [my cutie]

"Only you think so."

"Not true, Tante Anna and Rogue think it too."

"We do," Tante Anna said, heading into the kitchen.

Sarah realised that she had lost that argument, so moved onto her next one.

"Tante Anna says I can't stay with you tonight."

"She's right, _petite_. Hopefully we won't be here long enough for you to unpack and besides, Rogue needs your room."

Rogue swallowed, feeling guilty for stealing this girls room. And also kind of hopeful that maybe she would get to share Remy's bed. She had awoken a few times since she first became aware that she was sharing her bed and each time, she was able to get back to sleep easier than she was used to. The thought of sleeping alone again was a little bit scary.

Not that she intended to admit that to anyone. She was a grown ass woman after all, and she would not use Remy as some kind of overgrown comfort blanket. Well okay, maybe she would but she most certainly wouldn't admit it, nor would she come to rely on him.

Sarah looked at her, with big pleading eyes.

"I... I don't mind taking the couch." Rogue found herself saying. "It's her room, she shouldn't be kicked out of it by a stranger."

"She isn't being kicked out, she's staying with her Tante Anna, just like she always doesn't when I'm away."

"But you're not away!" Sarah argued. "And I've hardly seen you in ages!"

"That's my fault," Rogue said. "He was rescuing me."

Sarah tilted her head to the side. "What did you need rescuing from? Was it like an evil troll? Or a wicked step-mother?"

"No, sweetheart, it was some very bad men." Rogue explained in simple terms.

"Like the men who hurt your mom," Remy said softly.

Sarah swallowed then hugged Remy. "Thank you for helping her, and I'm sorry I didn't want you to go."

Rogue was surprised by this girl. She seemed much older than her years.

Remy hugged her back. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, _petite_, but I didn't want you to worry."

"I know, I just missed you, that's all."

"I know you did, _mon mignon_. I did too. Were you a good girl for Tante Anna?"

"I was." They both looked over to Anna, who it seemed had begun to prepare dinner.

"She was," Anna confirmed.

"You don't have to do that, Tante. I'll make dinner."

"I know you will, I'm just getting you started." Anna smiled.

"So can I stay here tonight?" Sarah asked.

Remy looked hesitant.

"I don't mind," Rogue said.

"Okay, fine, if Tante Anna doesn't mind going home alone, you can stay until Rogue and I have to leave."

Sarah threw her arms around his neck in thanks.

Tante Anna left soon afterwards, promising to return the next day for Sarah's lessons. Rogue spent most of the afternoon playing with Sarah while Remy combed through police reports. Rogue wanted to do it but she couldn't access police computers without Remy, and someone had to keep Sarah entertained.

When Remy stopped to prepare dinner, Rogue put a DVD on for Sarah and went to help.

"Did you find anything?" she asked as she began chopping peppers.

"No, nothing helpful. No one from the school was interviewed because they couldn't find them but equally, still no reports of bodies at the scene."

"Anything else?"

"They've completed a preliminary report on the explosion and... well they can't find a source."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that nothing caused the explosion. Not gas, or explosives or a bomb. One moment the mansion was there the next, something unknown caused it to blow apart."

"Mutant," Rogue surmised.

"Probably. My explosions don't leave any residue, obviously, but there is usually a source. Whatever I charge, when it explodes, that immediate area gets more badly damaged that the rest. They couldn't even find any trace of that at the mansion though."

"But if you charged a while building, couldn't the whole thing blow up equally?"

Remy gave her a sidelong glance, thinking that next she would ask when this happened and if he had an alibi.

"I suppose it would," his tone was cautious, "but it would take a helluva lot of power to do that. I've never attempted anything on that scale before."

"No," Rogue looked shocked that he could think that of her. "I... I... Remy, I know you wouldn't do anything like that. Plus, why would you rescue me just to blow up my friends, it doesn't make any sense. I only asked because you have that kind of power, but you aren't the only one who can blow things up. Jubilee and Tabby can too, and they're just people I know. Who knows how many other mutants out there can make things explode."

She looked sincere but he knew he'd earned himself a bad reputation working for Magneto.

"The explosion happened on the 25th," he said, just in case she was still having any doubts. "The day after I rescued you, when we were hiding in the cave."

"You didn't have to tell me that," she said. "And I'm really sorry that I gave you a reason to."

Remy smiled, casting the whole incident off. They chatted about what else he'd found until the food was close to being ready, then he called Sarah in.

"_Petite_, go and set the table on the courtyard, _hein_? And put some music on out there."

Sarah was obviously used to that task and quickly set about collecting what they needed. The courtyard was shared with the other ground floor condos but each had their own area. Flower beds lined the courtyard and in the middle there was a round bed filled with various lush plants. The plants also helped to give the illusion of privacy, separating the yard into different areas.

Remy had a large wrought iron table out there with six chairs, which Sarah had laid for them. Rogue carried two plates out as Remy brought the third and bottles of red wine and water. In the background Rogue could hear the gentle tones of blues music coming from the apartment. It wasn't loud enough to disturb, but it did help set the mood.

Despite what had happened to her and her worry for her friends, Rogue felt more relaxed than she had since this whole ordeal began.

Remy and Sarah chatted amiably as they ate but Rogue preferred to sit back and listen. It was just so domestic and comforting to listen to them. They may not be family, but they sure felt like they were and Rogue enjoyed feeing like she was a part of it.

"So where do you live?" Sarah asked Rogue, interrupting her reverie.

"New York."

"You don't sound like you do."

Rogue laughed. "Well that's just where I live. I'm from Mississippi originally."

"When are you going home?"

Rogue's smile faded a little.

"I don't know," she admitted, realising for perhaps the first time that this dinner with Remy and Sarah was perhaps as close as she was going to get to 'family' for a while. "Something happened while I was gone and I don't know where my friends are."

"Aren't they at home?"

"Our home got destroyed. I'm sure they're safe but they had no way to contact me and now, I have no way to contact them."

"You'll find them. Remy will help, he's good at finding things."

Stealing things, Rogue wanted to correct but she realised that she was being too harsh. So what if he did have a shady past, Remy had been nothing but good to her since he had rescued her and he deserved her respect.

She knew why she was tempted to snap, and that was because he had kissed her back earlier, after he had removed her tracker. She didn't want to punish him exactly, she had actually enjoyed it but therein lay the problem. It didn't matter if Remy liked her or if she liked him, nothing could ever come of it and that thought stung a little more than usual tonight.

"I'm sure he will." Rogue assured Sarah.

"He told me he was going to find me unicorn," Sarah explained. "He said that this bone on my forehead looks like a unicorn horn, but I didn't know what a unicorn was so he said he'd find one for me."

"A real, live unicorn?" Rogues eyes widened with shock. She thought that she may have missed her vocation as an actress.

"No, silly," Sarah giggled. "They're not real."

"Are too," Remy said. "It's just that only real good folks like me get to see them."

"Is that so?" Rogue couldn't help the smirk on her lips.

"_Oui_."

"Still, I guess he didn't find one," Sarah sighed theatrically and stared at her plate.

Remy knew exactly what she was doing and didn't answer. Sarah gave a deeper sigh.

Rogue could tell from his expression that he was just teasing the girl and tried her hardest not to laugh and give the game away.

When her third sigh felt real, Remy gave in.

"I take it you haven't been into your room since you got back?" he asked.

Sarah looked up at him, a grin shattering through her sad mood of moments ago. She took off running into the apartment, returning a few moments later with a six inch high carving of a unicorn.

"It's beautiful, Remy! Thank you!"

Remy hugged her a little awkwardly since she was still clutching the statue, then she sat back down at her seat and placed the unicorn by her plate.

"May I?" Rogue asked, gesturing towards the statue. Sarah nodded so Rogue picked it up. Rather than being a plaster of Paris mould, this thing was looked like it had been carved from marble. The work was exquisite, and she might almost believe this to be a miniature horse, until she touched it and felt the hardness. It must have cost a small fortune.

She wondered where Remy had been hiding this on their trip, or if he had bought it beforehand.

"Remy always brings me something back," Sarah continued chatting.

"What kind of things?" Rogue asked.

"Anything I ask for."

"It just guarantees that she's pleased to see me," Remy shrugged the comment off.

"That's sweet." Rogue smiled.

Shortly after dinner, Sarah was tucked into bed by Remy, who stayed to read her one of her stories. It seemed to be a nightly ritual, so Rogue began the clear up.

"You don't have to do this," Remy said when he returned.

"I know. I wanted to. It's the least I could do after that meal."

Remy smiled and picked up the tea towel to dry the dishes. They worked in companionable silence and when they were finished, Remy suggested finding a film to watch. Rogue browsed his DVD collection while Remy got bedding out for the couch.

"Find anything?" he asked.

"You have the entire collection of Buffy the Vampire Slayer," she said with a smile.

Remy shrugged. "A hot blond who can kick ass, need I say more?"

Rogue smiled. "I've never seen it."

"What, never? Really?"

Rogue shrugged.

"Okay, that settles it, we're watching Buffy." He put the bedding down beside the couch and got some more wine, while Rogue set up the first DVD.

"You can take the bed tonight," he said as he sat down to watch. "I'm fine on the couch."

"I'm not throwing you out of your own bed. Besides, the couch is comfy."

"Rogue, you are a guest here, I wouldn't feel right making you sleep on the couch."

"Well..." Rogue couldn't believe she was even contemplating saying this, but she did anyway. "We're both adults and it's a big enough bed. We could share. Bedsides," she winked, "I think I can trust you to keep your hands to yourself."

Remy was floored by her suggestion. Of course he wanted to and in fact now that he was used to sleeping beside her, he was certain that he wouldn't sleep very well without her there; what was shocking was that it had been her suggestion! She didn't know that he'd been getting into bed with her each night, so for her to willingly suggest sharing a bed was... unheard of.

"You sure about that, _chère_?"

"Well, if I can't wake you up in the morning, then don't blame me but yeah. I mean it's not like we're horny teenagers."

Remy raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, technically I'm still 19, but somehow I think I can resist your charms."

Remy smirked. "Well if you can't, at least it'll be a fun way to go, _hein_?"

"So that's settled." Rogue smiled. "Though we should probably keep a sheet between us, I'll sleep under it, you sleep over it, or the other way round. To be safe."

"Makes sense. Now, sit back and watch one of the greatest heroines of the silver screen." He didn't want her to dwell too much on what she had agreed to, just in case she changed her mind.

Rogue was soon captivated by Buffy, though she felt the need to critique her fighting moves. Remy wasn't too bothered since he had seen the whole series at least three times, but he still felt the need to defend Buffy to her, which resulted in a lot of good natured bantering.

Needless to say, Rogue was pretty soon captivated by Angel, just as Buffy was, so Remy suddenly had the urge to critique him. He didn't actually do a lot of fighting in the first season though, so Remy settled for pointing out his poor wardrobe and hairstyle choices.

Things became a little awkward when they headed to bed, but Remy changed in the room while Rogue changed in the bathroom and he was already under the covers when she came in. Rogue slipped in beside him, under the extra sheet that he had added, and lay on her side, facing him.

"You better not steal the covers," he warned, dispelling the awkwardness.

"You better not snore."

"And I don't care how irresistible Angel is, I hear you calling out his name, I'm dumping you on the floor."

"Fine, then I better not hear you calling out my name or I'll drain you faster than a gold digger drains her sugar daddy's bank account."

"Deal." Remy smiled. "So, how are you feeling?"

He didn't expect Rogue to answer, and the resulting silence confirmed his suspicions, so he was surprised when she did finally reply.

"I don't know," she confessed. "I'm still anxious, I still feel that there's someone just around the corner, waiting to take me back there. I guess I'm going to feel that way for a while. Then with the X-men M.I.A. I just... I don't know how to feel about that. I want to be optimistic but I can't help worrying. Then..."

"Then what?"

"It's silly."

"If it's how you feel, it's not silly."

"I just... I don't know, I sorta feel like this isn't real, you know? It's just too normal to be real. And then something happens and I have to think how to react, like... I don't even remember. Half the time I rely on my voices to tell me what to do, like I've forgotten how to live."

"You have, _chère_. I know you aren't a criminal, but it's not uncommon for prisoners to have trouble acclimatising to their normal lives and freedom. They call it institutionalisation."

"You think I have that?"

"A touch, maybe. And perhaps you feel abnormal, _chère_, but it is a normal reaction to what you've been through."

"I hadn't even thought about what the mansion being gone means. We only just got it rebuilt too, so I guess I didn't have too many memories to lose. I already lost most of them when Mystique blew it up."

"Memories aren't in buildings, _chère_, there in here." He lightly stroked two fingers over her hair, just above her temple.

"I guess that my job will be gone too," she said. "Doubt they held it for three months."

"Where were you working?" he asked. He hadn't thought to ask details like that, or look them up himself. He was more concerned about where she was being held and getting her out.

"McCann's Bikes."

"Figures," he said with a smirk.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you look like a motorcycle chick. It's a compliment."

"Oh, well... Thanks."

"You're welcome. So, you like the work?"

"Yeah."

"Couldn't the professor employ you? You do have a lotta vehicles at that school."

"Logan generally takes care of them. Besides, I like the independence of working somewhere else and earning my own money. But I have been training in the danger room on the Institute's jet so that I can repair and maintain that. Forge was helping me."

"Forge?"

"He's not really an X-Man, though he is a mutant."

"And his powers?"

"Genius and mechanical engineering, I guess. He's come up with all sorts of cool gizmo's, way out of my league, but I can learn to repair 'em." She sighed. "I'm still coming to grips with the X-Men stuff, there's a lot more computers involved." She smiled. "Sometimes I think Kitty would be the better choice to look after them."

"You can do it, _chère_."

"Thanks. And I know I can, I just really like working on bikes."

"What, you got a dream to one day open your own bike shop?"

"Maybe. But I have to say, my dream didn't include mutant terrorists, megalomaniac Egyptian mummies and destroyed mansions."

Remy smiled. "Dreams are what you make of them, _chère_. Nothing is ever perfect, you just gotta focus on that you have, not what's missing."

"Is that what you do?" she asked.

"It's what I try to do."

Rogue nodded then closed her eyes and raised a hand to rub her temple.

"What?"

"The voices are a little loud, that's all," she said. "Sometimes I wish that they would shut up for a bit. I feel like I'm relying on them a bit too much and if I could just shut them up, I'd remember how I feel and this transition would be a whole lot easier."

"I thought you had your mental barriers in place?"

"I do, but the professor used to help me and without him, they're just not as strong as they used to be, especially the new voices."

"What's it like?" he suddenly asked, curious to know how it felt to share head space with other people.

No one else had ever asked her that before. The professor knew thanks to his telepathy, and she had always assumed that it was a little too close to schizophrenia for her friends to feel comfortable asking. She gave it some thought before replying.

"I suppose it's like having an entourage, I'm never alone and everyone just has to have their say on what I'm doing. Most of the time they're quiet, just whispering in the background and are easy to ignore, but when I've just absorbed someone, it's as real as having a conversation with someone. Plus when my emotions are high, they get louder, as if that fuels them somehow. Right now some of them are loud, but I think that's down to my weak shields, not heightened emotions."

"What do they say?"

"All sorts. Right now, Carol thinks you're hot and is telling me to jump your bones. Tom thinks that's a very bad idea and and doesn't want to watch anything like that. Mark has a crush on you and thinks it's a crime against humanity that you aren't gay. He enjoys teasing Tom, who is slightly homophobic."

"They have conversations among themselves?"

"All the time. It makes them easier to ignore, actually, like tuning out a conversation at the next table."

"And do you ever talk to them?"

"Yeah, but not out loud. Just because I am crazy, doesn't mean I want to look crazy. Sometimes I even ask them for advice. Mostly Logan."

"Why him?"

"Because he's got good instincts. His psyche usually knows when something's wrong. Plus he can shut Kitty up. It's bad enough living with her but to have a constant running cometary in my head on everything from my fashion choices to my love life gets old real fast."

"What about when they took you over that time?"

"You heard about that?"

Remy nodded.

"That was weird. Normally they're just whispers, like ghosts but then... I don't know, it's like they were real people, and I was just along for the ride, trying to claw my way back to control but they were too strong. I felt like a puppet."

"Thank you." he said with a small smile.

"What for?" Rogue looked confused.

"For trusting me enough to share that. You didn't have to."

"I know, but I wanted to."

"You know, I don't know any psychics, but I do know a kick ass hypnotist. She might be able to help you with the voices."

Rogue smiled. "Yeah, and I'll find myself walking like a chicken every time I hear Lady Gaga playing or something."

"She's not a stage hypnotist," he said, though he laughed at the mental image. "She's a mutant, like us, but hypnotism is her gift. She's good."

"Have you used her?" she asked.

Remy looked away. He didn't like to talk about his past, but she had opened up to him so he supposed that he should open up to her in return. He got out of bed and fetched a torch from a drawer. He turned it on but it emitted a different sort of light to a regular torch. He sat back down on the bed beside her and shone the light at his hands. Under the slightly red beam, Rogue could see a patchwork of scars on his hands and forearms.

"Oh my god, what happened?" she asked, sitting up.

She reached out to touch the web of scar tissue that covered his hand and forearm but stopped herself just in time. She wanted to know what had caused the scars but she didn't want to knock him out. Actually she was surprised that her first reflex had been to reach out and touch them; her first instinct was never to reach out to someone else.

"When my powers first manifested, I couldn't control it. Thankfully my Tante Mattie is a healer and she was able to patch me up each time. You can hardly tell these days."

"But you remember." Rogue added.

Remy nodded.

"Is that why you wear fingerless gloves?"

He nodded again, smiling a little that's she had been sharp enough to catch that.

"Like you, I always wore gloves back then. Half the time to stop me charging anything I touched, the other half so that Tante's salves and creams didn't rub off.

"She did a good job," Rogue said. "I'd never have known."

Remy turned the torch off, put it aside and got back into bed. He turned the bedside light off then turned to face her again.

"But I still can't let go of the gloves," he said. "Not completely."

Rogue understood.

"Anyway, it was getting worse and Tante tracked down this woman, Ginny. She said the problem was my emotions and that I needed to learn to keep calm. After half a dozen sessions, I felt like a new man. I mean sure, I still get angry and sad and all that stuff, but not like I did."

"What were you like?"

"Mostly, not that different but sometimes... it was too much, like a berserker rage or something. I'd sort of wake up sometimes not remembering what I'd done, but something would be broken or someone would be bloody."

"Just rage?" she asked.

"That was the most damaging emotion, the one she said made it hard to control my gift, and she was right. I felt so much better after that, believe it or not. She gave me some exercises to do on my own which helped, and I even started reading some psychology books and working through a few of my issues."

"You had issues?" she teased.

"Still do," he assured her with a laugh. "There's no magic potion but on the whole, I'm happy now."

"Happy?"

"Well, maybe content is a better word."

Rogue was silent for a long time and Remy thought that she might have fallen asleep.

"I can't remember what it feels like to be happy," she admitted.

It was such an guileless statement that it made Remy's heart break. Keeping the sheet between them, his hand sought out hers and he squeezed it.

"I'll remind you, _chère_." It it hadn't been for the enhanced night vision that his eyes gave him, he wouldn't have seen the lone tear that crept down her cheek. "I promise."

* * *

AN: I hope to make a start on Chapter 6 this weekend, but it may be a while before it's complete. Sorry for the wait.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Rogue awoke the next morning to find herself alone in bed, but Remy had always been up before her so she wasn't surprised. In fact after the revelations of last night, she was kind of relieved. She needed some time to get herself together before facing him.

Not that she regretted telling him, exactly, but she did feel incredibly uncomfortable.

She darted into the bathroom, grateful that it wasn't occupied, then quickly back to the bedroom when she was finished. She felt like a thief, trying not to get caught. She dressed, again in another of the outfits Remy had chosen for her, and sat down at the dressing table. The first thing she noticed was a pair of straighteners, still in their box.

She had tried not to make a fuss about her kinky hair, but she really had missed her straighteners and it felt kinda nice to realise that Remy cared enough to notice. She badly needed a trim too, since it had grown about two inches since her last cut.

Once her hair was sleek and smooth, she set about doing her makeup. She felt like she needed her mask today, but not like she used to wear it. On impulse, she smudged the black khol eyeliner, giving her a smoky look. She liked the change. The rest of her makeup was basically the same, but she wore a little less lipstick than usual, giving her lips a purple sheen rather than a bloc colour.

She thought she looked older, which was fitting because she certainly felt older these days.

She walked into the living room with a confidence that she didn't feel, uncertain exactly how Remy was going to act today. She didn't think Remy was going to be unkind or anything, she just didn't know what to expect. Rogue didn't open up very often and when she did, it was usually only to Logan or the Professor.

She knew exactly what would happen if she ever confided in say, Kitty or Jubilee; they would tell everyone. And it wasn't because they were malicious, they simply couldn't help themselves. And sometimes they had this strange notion that they knew better than Rogue did about what was best for her. And maybe sometimes they did, they were impartial (or very nearly) observers after all. The trouble was they didn't come out and speak to Rogue about their concerns, they would either plot and scheme behind her back until they got their way, or nag her until she gave in. Considering how stubborn Rogue was, neither option was actually very pretty.

She imagined walking into the living room to see Remy bouncing on the balls of his feet, desperate to start nagging Rogue into the crazy idea he'd had since they had talked. Actually the image of Remy behaving like Kitty was actually pretty hilarious, and she filed it away for a rainy day when she needed cheering up.

Remy however, immediately put her at ease. He was sitting at the dining room table, the printer set up beside him and running while he sorted papers.

"Morning," he said, smiling slightly at her then looking back to his work. "There's fresh coffee in the pot, help yourself."

She did exactly that, thrilled to have a proper morning coffee for a change, then came and sat opposite him.

"These are the police reports," he explained. "I thought it might be easier to just print them out."

"Anything new?"

"Maybe." He set the computer aside and handed her the stack of papers he had been sorting. "Two witness statements claim to have seen a bird of flame right after the mansion blew. The police didn't make anything of it, just wrote it off as people seeing patterns where there aren't any, but these two people weren't related and weren't even in the same place when they saw the blast. I don't think they could have talked to each other about it before they were questioned."

Rogue was silent for a moment as she digested that.

"I... I know he was you friend but... well, you don't think that Pyro could have done this, do you?"

"He couldn't have blown the place up, but he was my first thought when I read about the bird of flame too. I already made some calls but it seems he's been back in Australia for the past month. Couldn't have been him."

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

"So we're looking for someone with a combination of yours and Pyro's powers," Rogue said, biting her lip. "It's too much of a coincidence though, it doesn't make any sense."

"No it doesn't," he agreed. "Which is why I think the mutant we're looking for could have some different power that just looks like ours sometimes."

"What kind of power?" Rogue asked.

"Don't know, exactly. I mean a well trained telekinetic could use their power to control flame, maybe even blow molecules apart like an explosion, but it'd have to be one helluva powerful mutant. More powerful than I've encountered before. Could also be a power borrower like you, using two different powers at the same time. Someone like Scott with his laser eyes could surely destroy a mansion, especially if unlike Scott, they have learned to control it. Or maybe it's something we haven't encountered before. Maybe someone out there can... I dunno, make things spontaneously combust or something."

"Maybe we should visit the mansion for ourselves, see exactly what happened."

Remy hesitated. "Maybe," he finally admitted. "But let's keep that as a last resort."

Just then Sarah came through from her bedroom, dressed for the day but rubbing her eyes.

"Mornin' _petite_. You brush your teeth?"

"Yeah," she yawned.

"Let's get some breakfast." To Rogue Remy said, "Tante Anna comes at 9 to give Sarah her lessons, so we can go through the police reports then."

Rogue nodded and followed him through to the kitchen.

By mid afternoon Rogue had skimmed the reports but Remy was still searching the internet. Rogue put the papers down on the coffee table, got up from the couch and stretched.

"Anything?" Remy asked her.

"No, no big ideas. Sorry."

"Don't be."

"What are you looking for?"

"News reports."

"On?"

"Flaming birds, and no, that's not a cocktail."

Rogue smiled and sitting next to him so she could see his screen. "Any luck?"

"Not sure," he confessed. "I've found a couple of reports, but most seem to be written off as hoaxes, UFO's or crazies. This website though," he clicked through to a site he'd saved, "is for paranormal phenomena. They've got a page dedicated to tracking this flame bird and, if all the reported sightings are right, it seems to be moving in an almost straight line, heading towards California."

"California?"

"Or somewhere between Bayville and California." He brought up another window, where he'd been tracking the course of the sightings using google maps.

"It's pretty straight," Rogue agreed. "Does the website say anything about causes?"

"Mutant is a pretty popular theory, but a portent of the end of the world is coming in a close second."

"Should we track it?" Rogue asked. "Try and head it off maybe?"

"Not until we know what we're dealing with." He sounded adamant.

"But the X-men could be tracking it too!"

"And they might not be. None of these so called sightings mention anything about metal claws, phasing girls, red lasers or ice slides. If they X-Men are following it, they don't seem to be doing a lot to stop it."

Rogue sighed. "I just wish I had some answers."

"I know, _chère_." he put an arm around her shoulder. "Tell you what, let's get out for a couple of hours."

"I don't-"

"I got a studio two blocks over where I train. We're both a little out of shape from lack of routine."

"What about Sarah?"

"Tante takes care of her until 5."

Rogue checked her watch, that would give them over an hour and to be honest, she needed to work off some energy. Plus he was right and she was badly out of shape.

* * *

Remy's studio was an old dance studio. One third was given over to equipment, such as weight machines and treadmills, the other two thirds had been carpeted with protective matting and was presumably for martial arts practice. Dotted around the walls were also unusual things, thin shelves far too high to be useful, a ladder had been mounted at a 45 degree angle between one wall and the ceiling. Another wall seemed to be for rock climbing, thought the hand and toe holds looked very small.

Rogue was wearing one of the T-shirts that Remy had brought for her to hike in and a borrowed pair of his sweat pants. The waist thankfully had a drawstring but the legs had to be held up with pins.

Remy played some rock music and they both got started, working up a sweat in no time. Remy worked the machines for about half the time, then he moved out onto the open floor to practice martial arts. She also realised what the odd pieces of equipment were for, which was basically for him to use as he jumped, flipped and climbed around the room.

She found that the rest of her workout flew by as he watched him. He was so lithe and graceful that it was almost like watching a dancer. He reminded her of a big cat that looked bored and almost harmless as it lay under a shady tree, only moments later to be jumping into action, full of power and energy.

She thought that he probably realised that she was watching but she was too mesmerised to care. To her surprise and relief, he didn't say anything when he was done, only grabbed a towel to wipe his sweat away with.

"There's still a girls changing room but I have no idea if the shower in there still works," he said. "You're welcome to share with me if not."

Rogue's typical knee-jerk reaction of insulting him didn't come, and instead she found herself smirking at his gall. Did he ever stop?

"Yeah, thanks but I don't really feel like hauling your ass all the way back to the apartment and making Sarah cry."

Remy smiled and let it go.

Thankfully the shower in the girls changing room did still work, though she let the water run for a while before getting under it since she had no idea how long it had been sitting in the pipes.

When she heard the door open, she thought that Remy was about to get up to his old tricks, push her too far thanks to his earlier success. Instead only an arm poked through and she saw something fly past the shower curtain.

"Forgot to get you a towel," he said. "Just call if you need anything else."

The door closed again and Rogue let out a sigh of relief. Or was it disappointment? Well, either way it didn't matter because while Remy could climb into the shower with her, he would most certainly have to be carried out of it.

Still, as she let the hot water sooth her sore muscles, she couldn't help but close her eyes and imagine that he was in here with her, his hands gently massaging the tension from her muscles, before slipping to much more private areas, and relieving the tension she felt there too.

Thanks to her bout of daydreaming, Remy was dressed and waiting for her when she left the changing room, and he looked like he had been waiting for a while.

"You okay, _chère_?" he asked.

"Fine," Rogue couldn't help but blush as she remembered what had held her up. "So," Rogue asked as they walked back to the apartment, "did you and your dad ever make up?" Though that wasn't the most tactful question, she didn't want to dwell on her awkward feelings.

"No," he said darkly. "That man will never change. Still, he's not giving me too many hassles."

"What kind of hassles does he usually give you?"

"Oh you know, just Guild crap and guilt trips, that kind of thing," he said lightly, but Rogue thought something was off.

"Does he do that to Henri too?"

"A bit, but Henri knows he'll be leader of the guild one day, so he sticks around to do his duty."

"Is it hard then? Running the Guild?"

"I guess." Remy scratched the back of his neck. "Truth is though, even without Jean-Luc's help, Henri is perfect for the job. Don't let his cavalier charm fool you, he's a responsible young man. Besides, he and Mercy still get away fairly regularly to do jobs."

"And what will you do if he does start making demands on you again?"

Remy looked at her for a moment, wondering if he should be truthful.

"Well... I had considered going north and seeing if your professor would take me and Sarah in."

"Really?" she looked surprised.

"Really."

His expression was blank and Rogue didn't know if she'd hurt him or offended him. She had figured out that he only used his poker face when he wanted to hide something.

"So why didn't you come sooner?"

"Sarah. I wasn't sure if you took kids that young."

"The professor will take in anyone in need."

"Maybe, but I still couldn't be sure that I'd be welcome. That girl has nothing stable in her life and never has, I couldn't just dump her at boarding school. I may not be her parent, but she deserves to know that someone cares about her, that someone will always be there for her."

"Remy, you're always welcome at the institute too."

"By you maybe, but what about M'sieu Serval? I don't see him welcoming me with open arms, especially since I kidnapped you."

"He doesn't know that," Rogue said. "I told him that you'd asked for my help and needing to get away for a while, I agreed."

"And he believed you?"

Rogue didn't answer. No, of course he hadn't believed her. Still, she had stuck to her story.

Remy sighed and ran a hand through his damp hair. "Anyway, looks like that's a moot point for a while; there isn't an institute for us to go to."

"But there will be again, and I would love to see you there." She smiled slightly and Remy looked into her eyes for a moment.

"We'll see, _chère_, we'll see."

* * *

They were preparing dinner that evening while Sarah watched some sci-fi show. The kitchen lead into the living room, separated only by a breakfast bar, so they could easily keep an eye on her while they worked.

The sound was on the TV, a machine in the medical bay of the starship or something. The beats were regular but high pitched, designed to alert the fictional medical staff of a problem with a character being treated. Remy thought nothing of it, until Rogue dropped the salad bowl, shattering it into a million pieces. He wasn't mad as he turned to her, just confused but a second later his confusion turned to panic.

Rogue was deathly pale, her eyes wide in terror, her hands were trembling and her breathing shallow and far too fast. He knew those symptoms. He just didn't know the cause.

"_Chère_?" He took her gloved hands in his, but she didn't seem like she was able to see him. He gripped her hands harder. "_Chère!__" _

She wrenched her hands out of his grip and put them over her ears.

"Stop, stop the noise, stop the noise!"

The only thing making a noise was the TV, so Remy vaulted over the breakfast bad, grabbed the remote from next to Sarah and muted the TV. Sarah too looked scared so Remy scooped her up in one arm as he returned to Rogue. She was now sitting on the kitchen floor, looking just as pale as before.

"It's gone," Remy said, kneeling down before Rogue. "Put your head between your knees and try to take deep breaths," he said, gently pushing her into position. He rubbed one hand up and down her back. "It's gone now, _chère_, you're safe. Just take deep breaths, in... out... in... out. You're okay now, you're safe."

After what seemed like an eternity, Rogue took one final shaky breath and sat up. She didn't know what to say.

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked Rogue.

Rogue nodded.

"You look as white as a ghost," Sarah told her.

"It's okay, _petite_. She just had a panic attack, like you used to, remember? It's nothing to worry about." Well it could be, but he wasn't about to say that to Sarah or Rogue.

He stood up, taking Sarah with him and offering his free hand to Rogue. She accepted and he led both his girls into his bedroom.

"I want you both to lie down here while I clean up the kitchen, okay? Don't come out until I say in case there's still glass on the floor."

Remy left them as they both climbed on top of the bed, facing each other. He had a feeling that Sarah would be better company for Rogue right now that he was. Somehow it was easier to appear vulnerable in front of a child than another adult. He could hear them talking softly but couldn't make out what they said. At least Rogue was talking, that was what mattered.

When he was done cleaning the kitchen, he poured a finger of bourbon into a glass and went back into the bedroom.

Rogue was still pale but she looked a little better.

"How are my girls?" he asked.

Both smiled at him but didn't answer.

"Here," he held the glass out to Rogue. "I don't recommend it long term, but it'll help take your shakes away for now."

Rogue hesitated for a few moments then apparently decided that she would take the drink. What her reasons against it had been, he could only guess. She grimaced as the drink went down in one go but she didn't cough and splutter, so this wasn't her first time.

"I was telling Rogue about when I used to do that and how you got Dr McNeil to make me better." Sarah told him.

"She had PTSD," Remy explained to Rogue. "Nightmares, panic attacks, night sweats, flashbacks, the whole nine yards."

"The doctor was nice though," Sarah said. "Didn't even look at me funny with my bones and stuff."

Remy smiled. "She was a nice lady. Now why don't you set the table for dinner, it won't be much longer. I need to have a quick word with Rogue."

Sarah nodded and headed out of the room.

"And don't put the TV back on!" he called after her, then turned to Rogue, who was now sitting up against the headboard. "You really okay?"

"I'm fine!"

"Rogue, even the most hardened soldiers get PTSD, it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I'm not ashamed," she said, unable to meet his eyes and looking very shamed right now.

"I know you're used to being this strong, independent woman and I respect that, but you don't always have to be the strong one, and you don't have to do everything alone.

"I'm fine, Remy, it was just a stupid noise, that's all."

"What did it remind you of?"

She looked up at him, then quickly away. He thought that's she wouldn't answer but finally did she.

"The machines they hooked us up to during testing."

"I'm sorry, _chère_."

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing, but it is normal."

Rogue sullenly kept her face averted.

"I used to have this little test when I was younger, to help me decide what was acceptable behaviour and what wasn't. Believe me, with a dad like Jean-Luc, it could be hard to tell what was acceptable at times. Anyway, I used to ask myself how I'd feel it it was Henri or Mercy in my place, if they had done or felt the way I did, would I think that was okay. You see, if you'd forgive those you love, then maybe that means you should forgive yourself too. If Kitty or Kurt had been through what you have, would you think them weak for having a panic attack?"

He could tell that's she didn't want to admit it, but finally she sighed. "No."

"Good."

"But sometimes it's easier said that done, you know? I don't like feeling powerless or weak."

"I know." After all that she had been through, she would be even less inclined than normal to feel or appear weak. "Just try not to beat yourself up about it, okay?"

Rogue nodded.

"And I will only make this offer once, but it's open ended. I know you'd probably prefer your professor, but if you want to talk to Dr McNeil too, just tell me. She specialises in trauma so she knows what she's doing."

"Thanks," Rogue said, but he knew from her tone of voice that she had no intention of ever asking.

_'You can lead a horse to water,' _Remy thought, _'but you can't make it drink.'_

"Come on, the salad may be beyond repair, but there's plenty of spaghetti and meatballs left."

Rogue nodded sadly and followed him out of the bedroom.

The next few days proceeded in a similar fashion. While Sarah was being schooled, Remy and Rogue searched the internet for signs of the flame-bird, or signs of the X-Men using their powers.

Sightings of the bird continued to come fairly regularly, about one a day, but no pattern could be found in it's actions, other than that it was still heading towards California.

There were also plenty of reports of mutants with powers similar to X-men, but none combined (like someone vanishing and the use of red laser eyes). Also, none of the reports they found came from anywhere near the bird, and surely the X-Men would be trailing the thing that had destroyed their mansion, wouldn't they?

* * *

Remy's brother and sister in law came to dinner one evening and Rogue finally got to meet Mercy, who was exactly as Remy described her. She had a tough attitude, but Rogue could tell that underneath that she had a heart of gold, and would probably do anything for those she loved. Rogue instantly liked her.

Henri was on the receiving end of a few of her put-downs throughout the evening, but he seemed to court them and actually enjoyed it when she put him in his place. Mercy also didn't seem to be truly offended when he retaliated, it was more like this was a ritual, a tradition.

Mercy also wasn't afraid to put Remy in his place, but he he didn't seem to enjoy getting a rise out of her like his brother did.

In turn, Remy and Henri shared a similar relationship, ridiculing and teasing each other at every opportunity. Rogue knew it was childish but it was also comforting in a way. She and Kurt, and to a lesser extend Kitty, shared a similar relationship, always bantering, threatening things they would never follow through on and generally just acting like siblings.

Rogue found that she liked them both very much. She tried to thank Henri for his help with getting out of Argentina but he brushed her thanks aside.

She helped carry the dishes in from the terrace, then visited the bathroom and on her way back, she paused in the doorway as she heard her name from the kitchen. The old jazz record that had been playing had finished (seriously, who used records any more?) so she could hear them perfectly. She knew it wasn't polite to eavesdrop but she couldn't help it. They were talking about her, after all, she had a right to know what they were saying.

"So you like this Rogue, no?" Mercy asked.

"I like her fine," Remy answered, his voice giving nothing away.

"Oh come on, you think I don't know you well enough to tell when you're in love?"

"I'm not in love!"

"Yeah, sure, you always risk life and limb for a _fille_ you hardly know, then open your home to her and invite your family over to meet her."

Rogue could imagine Mercy rolling her eyes as she said that.

"So come on, spill," Mercy urged.

"What do you want to know? That she captivated me from the moment I saw her?"

"Did she?"

"Oui," Remy sighed. "We met in battle actually, and I went easy on her. I never go easy on anyone in a fight."

Having seen his other exploding cards that day, Rogue had often wondered if the smaller charge on the card he'd given her was intentional or accidental. Now she had her answer. She remembered seeing him that first time too, and in fact just the sight of him had rendered her so useless that she hadn't even tried to attack him. Well, unless you counted her somewhat ill thought out plan to kiss him, though those thoughts had nothing to do with trying to disable him.

"Wow," Mercy said sarcastically. "Remy LeBeau going easy on someone while in the middle of a job, it must be love."

"_Chère_, don't be like that, okay. She's different, special. I don't know how but I knew that the first time I saw her, and everything since just conforms it."

"So jump her already! I know you want to, you can cut the sexual tension between you two with a knife!"

"Mercy, it's not like that! We're not like that." He sighed and she could picture him rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to explain. "Besides, Rogue's mutation, it means that she can't touch."

Rogue bowed her head. Of course, it always came back to that.

"So? That's just one part of a relationship, you know better than anyone that sex is not love."

"Yeah, but I don't think that she believes that. Anyway it's not just her mutation, we have similar backgrounds but if possible, I think she's even less trusting than I am. Given my reputation, I don't think there's anyway she would ever trust me, at least not in that way."

"So have you said _anything_ to her?"

"No!" He sounded appalled by the idea and Rogue's temper flared as she felt insulted by his vehemence. "If I say anything to her I'll frighten her and she'll leave, I know she will. It's better to stay her friend."

That appeased her temper slightly.

"She might not, you know. I know a little something about women, Remy, and that girl is into you."

_'Am I?'_ Rogue wondered.

"_Chère_, I know you mean well, but just leave it alone, okay. This is not the relationship for you to meddle in."

"I won't say anything to her, Remy, but _you_ should. You two would be great together."

"I know," he sounded forlorn and Rogue didn't like that. "But right now she trusts me. If I ask her for anything more, I could lose that."

Mercy sighed. "Okay. I'm not going to browbeat you into anything but don't wait too long before you say something or she'll think you're just not interested. Then you'll find yourself forever relegated to the friend zone, while she waltzes off into the sunset with Mr That-Coulda-Been-Me."

Rogue had heard enough and closed the bathroom door with a slight bang. By the time she made it to the kitchen, they were silently loading up five bowls with ice cream and sauce. Rogue helped carry them out to the terrace where they ate their desert. Rogue was quiet but then being an outsider, she had been fairly quiet even before she had overheard Remy and Mercy talking.

She volunteered to put Sarah to bed when the time came and after reading her a little more of her story, she kissed her hair and left the room. She headed to the kitchen, getting herself a glass of water so that it didn't look like she was stalling, and listened the the chatter and laughter that she could just make out from the terrace.

Remy's feelings for her hadn't come as a total surprise, though she had hoped more than known that he liked her. Still though, she had no idea how she felt about the idea of a relationship, not just with him but with anyone.

Remy did come with his own unique set of complications though.

She knew Bobby was interested in her, and Bobby was sweet, uncomplicated and as innocent as she in matters of the heart. She wasn't attracted to him but she felt that she could have trusted him with her heart.

But Remy? Well he practically had heart breaker stamped on his forehead. He could have almost any woman he wanted, and she had seen him receive quite a few interested looks as they walked about town, especially after a workout when his hair was still damp from the shower.

On the other hand, he knew exactly what being with her would mean, or more specifically, what it meant giving up.

But then was he really interested or had be just been humouring Mercy?

She just didn't know.

She didn't know if Weapon X were still after her and how close they might be, she didn't know what had happened to the mansion, she didn't know where her friends were and she really didn't know what to do about Remy.

"_Chère_, you okay?"

She turned to see Remy behind her, carrying a pile of bowls and looking concerned.

"Yeah."

"Sarah go down okay?"

"I think so. I wanted some water, that's all."

He gave her an odd look but didn't question her further.

"We thought we'd have some coffee and liqueurs then call it a night. You interested?"

"Um..."

"You can stay in here if you're tired, or go to bed, you won't offend anyone."

"No, it's fine. It sounds nice actually."

"You go on out, I'll be there in a minute."

Rogue settled down with Henri and Mercy and answered their questions about New York and the institute. Thankfully they didn't ask anything that she was uncomfortable answering. Remy came out after a few minutes with a tray. He poured everyone a coffee and although he hadn't made Rogue a coffee before, he made it sweet and creamy, just how she liked it. She smiled as she accepted, pleased that he would care enough to notice how she took her coffee.

Then he poured everyone a shot glass of something green.

"What is this?" Rogue asked.

"Chartreuse," he answered. "Be careful, it's strong."

"And what is it?" she repeated.

"It's made by French monks from 130 herbs. It's an acquired taste though so if you don't like it, I can make you a Shirley Temple."

Rogue just glared and tried a sip. It was an unusual flavour, rather sweet but not unpleasant. She could feel the sip as it burned a path down her throat, warming her.

"That'll put hair on your chest!" Henri exclaimed.

Rogue almost didn't answer but she just couldn't hold her quip inside. "Didn't work for Remy."

Henri and Mercy smiled while Remy chuckled.

"That must mean you've been looking, _chère_. Did you see anything you like?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." She smiled and leaned forward seductively. "I've been eyeing it longingly for a while now. So tell me, Remy, where did you get that bo staff?"

Mercy and Henri burst out laughing while Remy grinned at Rogue.

"Just dying to get your hands on my staff, ain't ya _chère?_"

She should have guessed that he would find some way to turn her teasing around. Unfortunately all her retorts involved threats if bodily harm, which weren't appropriate for the mood at the moment, so she let him win that round.

She was vaguely aware that she was playing a dangerous game. But she couldn't seem to help herself.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you all so much for your reviews, they have spurred me on to get this chapter done, and I know it's short but it's all I've had time for. Some of you asked questions and I simply haven't had time to answer, so I thought I'd put them here.

**Q&A**

_How did Rogue get kidnapped?_ I wasn't going to go into detail in this fic as it's an unnecessary detail, but suffice to say she was shot with a tranquilliser dart and kept drugged until she got to the facility.

_Why did Remy say he didn't take a cent to rescue Rogue and not flat out deny it?_ There is a reason for this, and a tiny hint was given in chapter five. The big reveal is in chapter eight.

_Is the flame bird Jean?_ Well, it's not like I didn't expect you to guess that one, so yeah, it's the Dark Phoenix.

_"I just wish there were chapters and chapters ahead."_ Don't worry, there are. As well as rescuing Rogue then some Romy-ness, she still needs to find the X-Men and see how they react to recent developments. Plus there's a few unscheduled pit-stops on the way that I hope will surprise you. I don't like messing with canon too much, but I hope to keep things interesting and new enough to keep you guessing a little.

_Sarah_ – She will not be a huge plot point and definitely won't be turning Remy into a woobie. She's there to show that, despite being a thief and Acolyte, he is capable of being a decent human being and doing the right thing.

If you have a question that wasn't covered here, feel free to ask and I'll answer them just as soon as I can.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

"Rogue, get in here!"

Rogue was changing for their night out, clad only in a dressing down as she did her makeup, so she wasn't thrilled at being ordered to the living room. Something in his tone however, made her do as he asked.

"What?"

"Look." He directed her attention to the television.

"What is that? Or what was that?"

"The Hellfire Club in Los Angeles. It exploded this afternoon, killing everyone inside."

"Exploded like the mansion?"

"Yeah. Someone caught the blast on their phone's camera, and that was definitely a bird shaped flame rising from the building."

"Did they show the footage?"

"Yeah. I'm hoping they will again. They've dubbed it the Phoenix, cos it rose from the ashes of this place."

Rogue sat next to him and watched raptly as the news anchor asked questions to an on site reporter, who knew next to nothing but seemingly loved the sound of his own voice.

She learned that the Hellfire Club was rumoured to be a group of elite individuals who try to influence world events, usually for financial gain.

"Is that true?" Rogue asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Pretty much."

"How do you know them?"

"I've done some work for them in the past. They wanted information, I stole it for them."

Rogue wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, so she ignored it.

"Okay, so if these are a bunch of megalomaniacs, why would this phoenix attack the X-men and the Hellfire Club? They have nothing in common."

"Well to be fair, your professor is trying to influence mutant affairs."

Rogue guessed that was true, but the targets still seemed like polar opposites. Finally the news showed the cell phone footage of the Phoenix again, just after the explosion.

"I'll make some calls, see if any of my contacts can put me in touch with the inner circle," Remy said, getting to his feet. "Why don't you look online, see if there's any new information."

Remy took out his cell phone and headed into the bedroom to make his calls.

* * *

An hour later, they knew nothing new. Remy had feelers out but it would take time for people to get back to him. Rogue reported that the news was just speculating wildly so they both agreed to head out for dinner as they had planned. Sarah had a play-date with Henri and Mercy's son, Louis, and was spending the night there, so they thought that they should take advantage of their freedom while they had it.

They headed into the French Quarter and Remy took them to a blues club that he knew. It took two drinks until Rogue relaxed and he finally had the 'date' he was hoping for. Rogue didn't know this was a date, of course, but they were two adults who had dressed up to spend time with each other. If that wasn't a date, he didn't know what was.

Rogue was wearing another of the outfits that Remy had chosen for her, though he would have preferred that she had let him buy her something that didn't come from Walmart. Still, she had teamed the usual sheer shirt and miniskirt with beige tights and high healed boots, making her look as sexy as hell. In fact it took all his willpower not to reach out and put his hand on her knee.

The club was cosy but not small and after eating and another two glasses of wine, Remy even coaxed Rogue onto the dance floor. To his surprise, she was actually a pretty good dancer. He didn't ask where she learned because he had a feeling that it had to do with her childhood, and they were enjoying themselves so he didn't want to spoil the mood.

Rogue danced close to him, her arms around his neck and he held her tightly, amazed that she was letting him. He had seen her after four glasses of wine before and knew that wasn't to blame for her changed attitude. He wondered if the news earlier had affected her more than he realised. Perhaps she was feeling the loss of the X-Men a little more keenly than usual and was giving him what he wanted so that she didn't lose him too.

He didn't like that idea, though he loved the feel of her against him. Perhaps a little too much.

"Is it hot in here?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

"Let's take a walk, _hein_?"

"Okay."

Remy left enough money on their table to cover the bill and they headed out into the quarter. It wasn't Mardi Gras this time, but the quarter was still alive with activity. The music from the bars and clubs spilled out into the roads and Rogue slipped her hand into Remy's as they walked. He noticed but didn't say anything. They paused to watch a trio of jazz buskers and Remy dropped some coins into their case before they walked away.

Rogue let go of his hand and took his elbow, then she pulled gently until he stopped and turned to face her. Her face was flushed and her chest heaved as she looked up at him. She found herself unable to look away from his eyes, and fancied that they were glowing a little brighter red than usual, almost smouldering. She had an insane urge to stretch up and kiss him, but of course if she did, she'd be carrying his ass back to the apartment. Somehow, that thought did little to stop the urge.

"Remy, I-"

"Well well, what do we have here? Has Remy found himself a new playmate?"

Remy closed his eyes for a moment, bracing himself for the confrontation with his ex, Bella Donna. Rogue hadn't taken her eyes off him, seemingly uninterested in his ex, though her expression was no longer amorous. He slung his arm casually around her shoulder then turned to face the other woman.

"Bell," he greeted her.

"So who's tonight's one night stand?" Bella Donna asked, giving Rogue the once over and clearly finding her wanting.

"He's moving up in the world, sugar, deal with it." Rogue answered.

Remy smiled. "She got a point, Bell."

Bella Donna's mocking smile disappeared and her face turned hard. "If you think that you're anything more than a momentary distraction, you are fooling yourself," she hissed.

Rogue looked up at Remy, all wide eyed and innocent.

"Gee, I wonder where we can get a time machine so you can go back two months and break up with me?"

"Sorry, _chère_, I think that's outside of even my capabilities."

"Oh please!" Bella interrupted their banter. "You two haven't even slept together yet!"

"Relationships are about more than just sex!" Rogue tried not to sound defensive, but she couldn't help it.

"You ever think that maybe you gave it up too soon, Bell? That maybe you should have clung to your self respect and waited until we were in love before giving it up?"

"You? Fall in love?" Bella laughed at such a clearly ludicrous idea.

"To be quite frank, you bottle blond skank, I don't care what you think about Remy and me. It doesn't change our feelings one bit, though it does make me question Remy's taste."

"It's improved a lot in recent years," Remy assured her with a smirk. "Now come on, _chère_, we were enjoying a nice walk before we were rudely interrupted."

They turned and left, arm in arm, as Bella Donna glared at them. They would probably pay for that exchange but it had felt so good that right now, Remy couldn't care too much about the repercussions.

As they passed out of the French Quarter, into Thieves' Guild territory, Remy stopped by a homeless man and put a dollar into his collection cup.

"Bella Donna's pissed, tell the others to be on watch."

The homeless man nodded and they walked on. Rogue turned a moment or two later to see the homeless man talking into the lapel of his old and worn coat. If she hadn't heard what Remy had said to him, she would have assumed that he was mentally ill and talking to himself.

"Guards," Remy explained. "They line the boarders of our turf and keep watch."

"Do the Rippers often cross into your territory?"

"How did you know Bell was a Ripper?"

Rogue touched her temple. "You're in here, remember, as is Julian," she reminded him. "She's Julian's sister, and one of the reasons he hates you so much."

"You got anything else about me and Bell up there?" His tone was cautious.

"No. A few flashes but no detail. Why, is there something you aren't telling me?"

"When we're home," he told her, which thankfully wasn't far away now.

Back in his apartment, Remy put on some coffee and cursed his back luck. Why did she have to show up then, just when he was getting somewhere with Rogue? With the coffees made, he put some blues on and came to sit beside Rogue on the couch. She was looking at him expectantly.

"Bell and I met when we were kids," he began, "before Lean-Luc adopted me. We were friends for a long time, then Bell pushed for more. I liked her so I agreed."

"What happened?"

"Turns out that friends know a lot less about each other than lovers do and the more I learned, the less I liked. Her free spirit and fire had less to do with personality and more to do with insanity. She'd probably pass a psychological exam, but she is one messed up girl."

Remy sipped his coffee. He hated reliving these memories.

"Jean-Luc tried to stop us seeing each other, as did Bell's father, which just pushed us closer together. Teenage rebellion I guess, but... Did, uh, did Julian's memories happen to show you what the Rippers do for a living?"

"No, he wasn't thinking about that."

Remy nodded absently. "Well, they used to be called the Assassins Guild."

"She killed people?"

"Kills, present tense," he corrected. "She and her whole family. I guess to me, murder and assassination was an abstract concept, something that happened on TV and in the movies. I just couldn't think of Bell in those terms. When she was fifteen, she was sent on her first mission, much like the thieves. We call it the tilling and that decides if you have what it takes to become a thief. I tried not to think about what to meant for Bell. Mine had been a few months before hers and I passed with flying colours. I knew Bell would pass too, she'd been training for this her whole life.

"I tried to tell myself that it was okay, it was her family business, and I'd seen plenty of people killed on the streets, sometimes for nothing more than a half eaten apple, so I knew that life was cheap. I expect that I could have lived with it, if she hadn't been so damn proud of herself."

Rogue reached a hand out and took his, but she wasn't sure if it was for her comfort or his.

"She couldn't stop talking about it about how good it felt, how powerful it made her feel. I hardly recognised her any more."

"So you ended things?"

"Yeah, but that's not the end of the story. Bella became obsessed with me and getting me back. She tried for a while to appeal to me but when that didn't work, she went to her father. You see, until recently the guilds have been at war for centuries. It was Bell's father, Marius, and Jean-Luc who came up with the idea of splitting New Orleans into territories so that we could each have our own peaceful areas, and the Guilds have been relatively well behaved since then. There's an occasional fight or theft and tensions rise again, but there's only been one death since they did that.

"Bella decided that if the princess of the Assassins and the prince of the Thieves were married, that would help solidify the peace. She talked her father into the idea and even though Julian hated it, Marius agreed. He spoke to Jean-Luc and got him to agree that we would be married when we both turned 18."

"So they married you off?"

"They tried. Jean-Luc used every trick in the book to get me to go through with the marriage, but for me that was the final straw. He'd been using me my whole life but I was damned if I was going to let him choose my bride for me, especially one who enjoyed killing."

"You'd never get a good nights sleep again," Rogue teased, trying to lighten the mood a little.

Remy smiled, pleased that she was taking this so well. "Jean-luc and I fought a lot about it over the next two years but he wouldn't be swayed."

"Didn't Henri try to help?"

"He did what he could but Jean-Luc wasn't having any of it. When I turned 18, I only had three months until Bella did too, so Henri suggested that I leave. That it was the only way Bella would ever let me go. So I told Jean-Luc that I wasn't gonna marry her and that I was leaving. He told me that if I left, I'd be banished for good. I told him that I was done with this life anyway.

He took a long sip of his coffee before continuing.

"After that I worked freelance jobs, moved around a lot, never settled anywhere. I knew that if I came back to New Orleans, the Guild would force me to marry as condition of being allowed to return. Then Magneto approached me about joining his group. I saw it as a chance to put down some roots again. It didn't quite workout how I planned."

"So how come you're back in New Orleans now?"

"Guild law states that when someone has saved your life, you owe them. Most Thieves would ask for money to repay the debt but I told Jean-Luc that I would accept nothing less than being allowed to return and not have to marry. He tried to get out of it of course, but Henri went to the guild council and told them my terms. They agreed that it was within my rights to ask it and forced Jean-Luc's hand."

"I'll bet he took that well."

"Yeah," he said darkly. "'Bout as well as you'd expect."

"But you still feel bad don't you, about not doing what he wanted?"

"I guess old habits die hard." He sighed.

"Well you know, you probably did the right thing. If you had married her, you could have started world war three."

Remy frowned.

"Come on, your reputation proceeds you, Remy, and I don't think she's the kind to take being cheated on lightly."

His frown had turned into a scowl. "Don't say that!"

"What?"

Remy turned away and rubbed a hand over his face. "Nothin', _petite_, forget it."

"No, I hurt you, tell me why?"

Remy took a few deep breaths before he began.

"You're right, I do have a rep, but that not who I am. I have never cheated on a woman." Of course, his relationships generally only lasted one night, but the principle still stood. "And I know for a fact then when... if I marry, I will never cheat."

"How can you be so certain?"

"Because I won't marry until I'm in love." He turned to look at her, willing her to see the truth in his eyes. "Jean-Luc might be a bastard but I had other people to teach me right from wrong, like Henri and Tante Mattie. Just 'cos my father was a philander, doesn't mean I will be too."

Rogue hadn't actually known that his father had a reputation. She wondered now how much of Remy's own exploits were true and how many were him being tarnished with his father's brush? Surely even the most rampant stud couldn't do some of the things that she'd heard about him. And besides, he hadn't even tried to chat up a woman since he'd rescued her, and probably for a good while before then too. He simply wouldn't have had the time while planning her breakout.

"You're right, I'm sorry." She reached out and took his hand in hers again, looking down to where they lay, twinned on the couch cushion. "It's just... well, I like you, and I think that you like me too, and that scares me. It's easier to see you as a heart breaker."

Gambit didn't know what to say. Sure, he was thrilled to hear those words from her but at the same time, he desperately didn't want to hurt her. For all his protestations that he could be faithful, part of him had started to believe his own hype.

The silence stretched out between them, growing more uncomfortable with every second.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Rogue whispered.

"No, you shouldn't," he agreed, causing Rogue to flinch, "because I should have said it a long time ago. I'm sorry I put you in this position, Rogue. I do like you, hell, I more than like you but I didn't want to pressure you; you have enough on your plate right now. And honestly, I didn't dare to hope that you might feel the same way."

He reached out and cupped the side of her face with his hand, being careful to only touch her hair and cursing himself for not putting on gloves. He turned her face towards him and smiled warmly when she made eye contact.

"So what happens now?" she asked.

"I don't know," he confessed. "This is new to me too, you know, this kind of intimacy."

His use of the word intimacy confused her for a moment, until she realised that he didn't mean sex, he meant connecting with her, on a real, emotional level. She smiled, though it wasn't her dazzling smile that he liked so much.

"Are you sure," she asked. "Can you really handle never having sex?"

"Sex is more than just copulating, _chère_. Maybe we can't go the whole hog, least not yet but there's plenty to keep us busy in the meantime.

He saw her eyes widen.

"When we're ready, that is. For now, I think I'd be content just to be able to touch you, to hold you in bed without you flinching."

"That'll take some work," she admitted. "It's not you I'm flinching from, it's just how I've had to condition myself. Please don't be offended if I do pull away."

"I'll just hold tighter," he assured her.

Rogue licked her lips, wondering if she should divulge what she felt the urge to. She looked back down to their hands.

"I know you've been sleeping with me, before we got here, I mean."

Remy panicked for a moment until she continued.

"It felt good knowing that you were beside me, but I was too proud to say anything to you."

"How long have you known?"

"Since our first motel."

Remy chuckled. "And here I thought I'd be a dead man if you found out."

"I'm sorry, I should have said something. Thanked you."

"You're thanking me now, _chère__, _that's enough."

Rogue looked up at him and smiled, and this time it was that big grin that he loved.

"Wow!" he said.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just didn't know for sure if you had teeth until this moment," he teased.

Rogue tried to glare at him, but she couldn't keep the smile from her lips.

"Come on, _chère_, let's head to bed."

"But it's still early."

"And I've just been given permission to cuddle you. If you think I'm going to wait a second longer than I have to, then you don't know me very well."

Rogue laughed and allowed him to pull her off the couch. She paused as they entered the bedroom though, causing him to turn and face her.

"Just cuddling, right? Nothing more."

"Nothing more. I don't ever go where I'm not wanted, _chère_."

Rogue relaxed, though she still got ready for bed in the bathroom. Remy was waiting when she returned. He was laying above the sheet as usual, though he was also wearing a long sleeved T-shirt to bed, which was unusual.

Since it was perfectly safe, Rogue climbed into the bed and, as best she could with a sheet between them, settled herself against Remy, her head resting on his shoulder. It felt nice to cuddle, Rogue decided. Remy was lean but he was all muscle, as she had observed in the gym but feeling it for herself, first hand, even through a sheet and T-shirt, it felt wonderful. The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest was comforting.

They lay like that for a while, until Rogue suddenly asked, "What's your favourite movie?"

"Iron Man," he answered without missing a beat, and Rogue discovered how much more sexy a voice could sound when heard through one ear and felt through his chest with the other one.

"Iron Man, really?"

"What, you don't like it?"

"No, it's just not greatest movie of all time, that's all."

"It's basically got me as the lead character, 'cept that I don't need technology to make me awesome, so what's not to like?"

Rogue laughed, and they spent the rest of the evening discussing other inconsequential things until they fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Rogue's fitness had improved in leaps and bounds and she had begun sparring with Remy after their workout. Unfortunately, it didn't matter how fit she was or how long she'd been training, Remy was the more skilled fighter.

A few memories of him training surfaced in her mind, and they weren't pretty. The Thieves, and Jean-Luc in particular, were hard task masters and the punishments metered out for not coming up to par were harsh, even harsher than most for Remy and Henri. Rogue saw glimpses of Remy being made to run until he threw up, being locked in the gym for days with no food until he completed an assault course, being hit, whipped, locked in cupboards.

_'And I thought Mystique and Logan were hard,'_ she thought, suddenly not minding losing to him quite so much.

Remy had also begun to school her, giving her tips as they sparred. She found his teaching style to be much nicer than Logan's; Remy encouraged and suggested, rather than yelling at her.

When they had finished they hit the showers, and Rogue had time to think that she was grateful for these sessions since as well as getting her back in shape, they helped her work out some of her sexual tension. Remy was a very hard man to resist, but she just wasn't ready to do anything sexual yet. She was a 19 year old virgin who had begun to think that she would never have a boyfriend, so this was taking a lot of getting used to.

Thankfully Remy didn't pressure her at all but unfortunately, she felt the pressure of her own desires all too strongly.

Remy was finished before Rogue, as usual, and waited for her outside the changing rooms.

"You are a very hard man to find, Gambit."

Remy froze then turned to the voice. "Mystique. I didn't expect to see you here."

"I don't doubt it. I on the other hand, was expecting to see you a week ago or more. I made the second part of your payment four days ago, now hand over my daughter."

"That wasn't our agreement. I said I'd ask her if she wanted to see you, that's all I promised."

"And you haven't even done that."

"She isn't ready yet."

"I paid you very handsomely for your services and I expect something in return."

"Rogue is safe, isn't that enough?"

Suddenly Remy heard a noise behind him and turned to see Rogue standing there, her eyes wide with shock and betrayal.

"Rogue!" He took a step towards her but she took off running, pushing Mystique aside as she barrelled bast her.

Remy turned back to Mystique. "You stay away from her, you hear me? You have no idea of the hell they put her through and I will not have you adding to her problems."

He took off after Rogue, Mystique's reply unheard against the wind in his ears. He didn't know where Rogue would go so he headed for home, hoping that she would be there. She was, throwing her things into a bag. He stood in the bedroom doorway watching for a moment.

"Please, Rogue, let me explain."

"What's to explain? You lied to me! I asked you if anyone paid you to get me out and you lied!"

"I didn't lie, _chère_. Do you think I blew my hands up practising on those damned collars for a fee? You think I voluntarily put one of those around my own neck to practice, risking getting my head blow off, for money? I know I didn't go through what you did, Rogue, but surely even you remember the horrors that they do to mutants before they get to the facility. No amount of money would make me do that to myself."

"Then why did you promise to deliver me to her? And why the hell couldn't you be honest with me?"

"Do you think those X-Geeks you call family would have asked for my help? If it hadn't been for Mystique, I wouldn't even have known you were gone."

"You still took her money!" she spat, pausing in her packing to look at him. "And you lied about it. You're nothing but a low-life thief and I never should have trusted you!"

She had tears shining in her eyes but her words stung him too much for him to be mindful of her feelings.

"So you're just going to run again?"

"I don't run!"

"Your powers flared up and you ran to the brotherhood. You found out about Mystique and you ran tot he X-Men. Your brother wouldn't talk to you so you ran away with me-"

"You kidnapped me!"

"But you didn't go back when I let you go, did you? Hell, when your crush goes on a date with someone else and your friend turns out to be mystique, you even run from yourself, letting those voices in your head take you over!"

"I didn't _let_ them do anything!"

"Oh please, you are the dominant personality in your head, _chère_. You said yourself that when you get upset, the voices get louder. I think it's because you want them to, you want the distraction, you want to give up."

His speech had momentarily silenced Rogue, so Remy went to his closet and opened a safe in the back. He took out an envelope then closed it again.

"For the record, I didn't take a dime from Mystique."

He threw the envelope onto the bed in front of her and left the room.

Rogue had been hurt by him, and Mystique, but for some reason she also felt bad. She had judged Remy without hearing his side of the story and maybe that was wrong. But he _had_ lied to her! He had promised to hand her over to her mother on a silver platter, for Christ sake, the woman who had done nothing but use Rogue since day one!

_'That wasn't our agreement. I said I'd ask her if she wanted to see you, that's all I promised.'_

Why did her god damn conscience have to remind her of that! Okay, so maybe he hadn't said he'd hand her over, but he had taken Mystique's money and he had lied about it!

She was too overwhelmed to continue packing so she sat down on the bed and picked up the envelope that Remy had tossed there. She gasped as she pulled out a bank statement in her name, with a balance of $150,000.

Now she felt like a tool.

She stayed where she was for a few minutes, until she was certain that she wasn't about to cry or rage, then headed into the living room, but Remy wasn't there. She sat on the sofa, wondering how long he'd be gone.

* * *

Rogue had begun preparing diner when Remy got back but she put her knife down as he entered and went through to the living room.

"What is this?" she asked, picking up the statement off the breakfast bar. She thought she had an idea, but clearly making assumptions wasn't a good thing to do.

"A bank account I set up in your name, that's the first payment from Mystique. The second half should have gone in by now."

"$300,000?"

"That's what we agreed."

"Why did you take it? Why not just throw it in her face?"

"Why not take it?" Remy shrugged. "After everything she put you through, I thought that at least you deserved something from her in return. Money might not be what you want, but it's better than nothing."

He sighed then sat down on the sofa, resting his elbows on his knees and burying his head in his hands.

"Jean-Luc didn't do much for me but he did teach me how to get money. That money allows me freedom. Freedom to buy this place, freedom to stay with Sarah when she has nightmares. Freedom to hire Tante Anna to teach her so she doesn't have to be bullied in regular school. I though... I don't know what I thought, I just... I was going to tell you, _chère_, I swear, but you've been through so much that I didn't want to burden you yet. I'm sorry. If you want to leave, I understand. I have some friends in New York who'll put you up if you want to be closer to the Institute."

He felt Rogue's hand on his shoulder and the couch dip slightly as she sat beside him. He dropped his hands and looked over at her.

"I'm sorry I judged you before hearing your side. I shouldn't have done that."

"Considering what that woman did to you, I can't blame you."

"You should have told me," she gently admonished. "But considering everything that you've done for me, I should also have trusted you. Or at least heard you out before jumping to conclusions."

"Can we both agree that this wasn't out finest hour and put it behind us?"

Rogue nodded.

"Thank you." He meant it.

Rogue bit down on her lip.

"What?" he asked, sensing her hesitancy.

"I've been thinking about what you said, about my voices taking over."

"I was hurt and angry and it was a stupid thing to say. I'm sorry, _chère_."

Rogue swallowed then looked down at the floor. "Sometimes I think you're right," she said in a soft voice.

Remy put an arm around her shoulders, clearly sensing that this was going to be difficult for her. He didn't press her for information, but simply held her.

"My powers had been flaring all day but I was too angry to think much about it, then after I'd absorbed Mystique and found out she was Ritzy, I remember thinking that I'd had enough, that was one final betrayal too far. I don't remember what happened then but I was myself again a while later, and Mystique told me that she'd adopted me when I was a child, that she was my mother. I did give up then, I just couldn't face it, so I let them take over."

She was silent for a few moments and when she continued, her voice was even softer.

"In the facility, I used to try and make them take over but my powers were switched off most of the time. I willed them to come and take my place every day but they didn't."

She began to cry. Remy took a deep breath while he considered how to respond.

"We all feel like that sometimes, _chère_, but the rest of us are lucky enough not to have a legion of other people willing to step in and take over. Thinking that doesn't make you a bad person, only human. Given what they did to you, I think wanting to escape is not only understandable, it's normal."

Rogue leaned into him and he wrapped both arms around her as he sat back on the couch, pulling her with him and settling her into his embrace.

"It was horrible," she said. "I could deal with most of it, the healing factor tests, the pain threshold tests, even being made to absorb other people. What I couldn't deal with was the total inhumanity of it all. I wasn't even a person to them, just a number. They hardly ever spoke to us and when they did, they never called us by our names, we were just 'subjects'. I was 'Subject 1882'."

Remy held her and listened as she recounted some of her thoughts and feelings of her time in Weapon X's custody. Most of it he knew from reading her file but this wasn't about what had happened to her, this was about her coming to terms with what happened to her.

In the movies, she would recount her tale of woe and miraculously everything would be fine again, she would be healed. Unfortunately, real life isn't that cut and dried. Recovering from something like this was a process and she had just taken the first step, for which he could only admire her strength.

Sometimes she wept as she spoke, sometimes she got angry, but Remy stayed with her and listened. She didn't need to be told what to feel or how to think right now, she just needed someone to listen. Soon he would suggest professional help, perhaps the doctor who had helped Sarah with her PTSD, but he wanted to hold off for a while, still hoping that they could find the X-Men and the professor before he brought in outside help.

It was getting on for five o'clock when Remy's cousin, Emil, and Sarah returned from their day at the fair. Thankfully they could hear Sarah's chattering voice as she approached the apartment, giving Rogue enough time to escape and refresh her makeup so that she wouldn't face difficult questions.

Sarah was almost literally bouncing when they came in and she ran to Remy, talking a mile a minute about everything she had seen and done that day. Though he had been there for everything, Emil listened with a smile on his face.

Finally she ran out of things to report, just around the time that Rogue returned from the bedroom, looking as though nothing bad had happened. Remy realised that while Rogue had been preparing their dinner, he didn't much feel like cooking tonight. She probably didn't either.

"So, what do you say we head out for a night on the town, ladies?"

"Really?" Sarah's eyes lit up.

"Does that include me?" Emil asked.

"If you're a lady it does."

Emil smirked.

"What about the food?" Rogue gestured to the kitchen.

"It'll keep for a day," Remy assured her.

"Okay then, I could go for that," Rogue agreed. "Nothing too upmarket though."

"I know this great little place in the Quarter," Emil said. "Tiny really, but it serves the best jambalaya in all of New Orleans."

"You sure going into the Quarter is wise?" Remy asked.

"It's too early for the Rippers to be out," Emil shrugged. "Besides, you got me there to protect you!"

Remy laughed and shook his head. He knew the place Emil was talking about and it was good food. After their recent run in with Bella Donna, he wouldn't take Rogue and Sarah in to the Quarter if it was just him, but with Emil there too, he felt that his girls were protected enough.

He hadn't told Rogue because she didn't need any additional worries, but Bella Donna and her friends had tried to cross the line into the Thieves' territory four times now. He would have to do something to placate Bella Donna sooner rather than later.

"Hey, call Mercy and see if she, Henri and the little Louis want to come," Remy suggested. "We'll make it a family outing."

"Yay!" Sarah jumped up and down at the thought of seeing her playmate, Louie, again.

* * *

Rogue and Remy had finished their workout and were just about to begin sparring when his cell phone went off, the ring tone was Wild Boys.

"I'd better get that," he said, heading over to the weight bench where his trench coat was sitting.

Rogue hadn't heard that ringtone before so she guessed that it was reserved for someone important.

"_Bonjour_? _Oui_. You did? Where? Okay, give me the details."

Rogue watched as he got a piece of paper out and wrote something down.

"_Merci_, Jacob. I owe you one." He ended the call and turned to face Rogue. "That was a friend of mine, Jacob. He says that the White Queen of the Hellfire club, Emma Frost, was spared the explosion. Apparently she and her club had a disagreement and went their separate ways about two weeks ago."

"And you think she can tell you why this Phoenix was after her club?"

Remy shrugged. "Worth a try, _non_?"

Rogue nodded and watched as Remy dialled another number.

Reports of the phoenix had dried up after the second explosion, so either the mutant in question had done what it needed to do, or it was laying low now that people had noticed a pattern. Rogue hoped that this Emma Frost at least knew why the Phoenix attacked her friends, though she doubted that the woman would know where her friends were now.

"Emma? It's Remy LeBeau."

"Remy, darling, long time no speak," Emma purred.

"Well you crept out and didn't leave me your number," he said, turning on the charm. He turned his back to Rogue, unsure how well she would take him flirting with someone else.

"So you tracked it down," Emma sounded happy. "Though I have to say, your skills must be slipping if it took you two years,"

"Yeah, I got a little side tracked. Forgive me?"

"Always. So, I assume you aren't calling for a rematch?"

"As nice as that would be, no. I'm actually calling about what happened to your friends in Los Angeles. You see, that thing attacked some friends of mine and I was hoping that you would know something about it."

There was silence on the other end.

"Emma?"

"I'm only telling you this because I like you. Leave it alone, Remy. That thing will kill you, your friends and anyone you care about. You can't stop it, you can't control it, your best hope it to stay out of it's way."

The line went dead. And Remy stared down at the phone.

Rogue hadn't seen Remy use his charm in a while and she felt a little unsettled to hear him charming some other woman, even if it was only over the phone. The fact that they'd also had sex irked her too. She knew that he had other sexual partners but she didn't exactly like her face rubbed in it, especially when that was something they would likely never be able to do.

"So?" Rogue asked, only having heard his side of the conversation.

"She knows something," he said, looking over at her. "But she wouldn't tell me. She said it can't be stopped or controlled and to stay out of it's way."

"So that's it, we just give up?"

"Hell no," he said, a wicked smile forming on his lips. "Now that I have her pone number I can track her. Once we find her, she either tells us what she knows, or you can drain the answers from her."

Rogue didn't like the idea of Remy meeting up with an ex (or another ex), nor the idea of using her powers on this Emma. And now that she thought about it, she wasn't liking the idea of leaving New Orleans either. This place had become a kind of safe haven and she never felt afraid that Weapon X might find her while she was here. The rest of America though? Well she didn't know what to expect out there.

It was silly though. She needed to find out what had happened to her friends and she couldn't stay here forever, she needed to go home at some point.

So she swallowed down her fear, took a deep breath and looked up at Remy.

"Let's go get her."

* * *

With a little hacking, Remy traced Emma Frost's cell phone to Chicago and they caught a flight out that evening.

Sarah was dropped off with Tante Anna and Rogue was surprised to see that the girl wasn't at all tearful, just resigned. She supposed that after having lost so many people, Sarah was probably expecting people to leave her. Remy had assured her that he would be back as soon as he could and asked her what she wanted him to bring back. Her answer had been Rogue.

Remy had dropped to one knee in front of Sarah.

"I can't promise that, _petite_," he said gravely. "Rogue has friends that she's looking for and when she finds them, they'll want her back."

"I promise that whatever happens, I'll come back and visit," Rogue said, trying to cheer the girl.

Sarah just nodded. "Okay," she said, sadly.

Remy hugged her tightly, kissed her cheek and promised to bring her back something extra special, "As special as you are, _petite_."

Then Rogue hugged her carefully and kissed her hair. She wished that she could have promised to return with Remy but there was just so much that she didn't know. If her friends were alive, she needed to be there for them. She secretly hoped that somehow everything would work out so that Remy and Sarah could join them back at the school, if it reopened, but she and Remy hadn't discussed that much. Plus there was no saying that the X-Men would accept Remy because he had been an acolyte, and he and Sarah were a package deal. She would try and convince them to accept Remy, of course, but some of the X-Men were more than a little stubborn.

Of course, if they did reject Remy, she could always leave and go with him, but again they hadn't discussed that. Would he want her to hang around forever? Maybe it was better to end this pseudo-relationship while things were still good, before he got bored of not being able to touch her.

She tried to push such thoughts aside as Remy used his phone to get an update on Emma's location.

"Looks like she's at a bar down town," Remy said.

Rogue started the hire car and followed the signs for the city centre.

They drove in silence for a few minutes until Remy broke the tense atmosphere.

"You know, you're more than welcome to return to New Orleans with me."

"You just don't want to let Sarah down," she teased, trying to keep things light.

Remy didn't play along. "I just don't want to lose you."

Rogue glanced over at him and bit down on her lower lip as she considered her answer. "I don't want to lose you either but-"

"You don't want to leave your friends. I understand." His tone was unreadable, as was his expression.

"They're not just friends, they're family. Literally in Kurt's case."

"Do, uh, do you think they'd welcome a new member and his surrogate kid?"

Rogue glanced over at him again before answering.

"I don't think it'll be easy, but if anyone can change their minds, it's you. And rescuing me will earn you major points."

She reached over and took his hand.

"Would you really want that though? I'm pretty sure that you'll have to quit the guild." She kept her eyes on the road, unwilling to see a negative reaction.

"I can give it up." He said with confidence. He hadn't stolen when he'd worked for Magneto (except for the few thefts that Magneto ordered him to do) and he'd been fine. It was the adrenalin rush that he really loved, the challenge of a job, not thieving itself.

It was fitting in at the mansion that he was uncertain of. He was pretty sure that the professor would be okay, even Magneto had a fair amount of respect for the man but what Remy wasn't sure he could do, was take orders from Scott and Logan. Neither would easily come to trust him, let alone like him.

Rogue bit her lip, having guessed that he wasn't being totally truthful with her.

Remy squeezed the hand he still held. "How about we cross that bridge when we find your friends?"

Rogue nodded.

"Take the next left," Remy said, checking his phone. He directed her down a few other turns until they pulled up outside the Golden Dragon Cocktail Lounge.

"She's in there," Remy said as they got out of the car. "Can telepaths read your mind?"

"Not easily, there's too many other people up there."

Remy nodded and pulled his gloves on. "Take yours off, just in case she isn't helpful."

Rogue did as he said and he took her naked hand in his gloved one. It felt very odd to Rogue, to touch something with her bare hands and it made her feel vulnerable. She tucked her other hand into her pocket.

Remy looked around the bar and was surprised to see Emma drinking alone in a booth. He ushered Rogue to the side so that they could watch her unobserved. In the ten minutes that they observed her, three men approached but all were quickly turned away. The bartender also approached with a drink but as he too was sent away, drink still on his tray. Remy assumed that she hadn't ordered it herself.

From the way she was dressed, Rogue wasn't surprised men were chancing their arm, she looked like a high class hooker. Even without her mutation, Rogue was pretty certain that she would never show that much skin.

"Here," the barman said to Rogue as he came back around the bar, handing her the cocktail.

"I-"

"Thanks," Remy interrupted her, smiling jovially at the barman. "Blondie's a real ball-breaker, huh?"

"Yeah," the barman agreed, looking over to Emma's table. "Though to be honest, she is way out of the league of the guy who ordered this drink for her."

"Unusual to drink alone in a bar though," Remy commented.

Rogue sipped the cocktail and to her surprise, she liked it. She didn't drink much alcohol (well she was under-age) so Logan's beer and Remy's wine was just about the only things she had tried. This was much nicer than the French liquor Remy had given her when Henri and Marcy came to dinner. That was drinkable, but this was delicious.

"Not really," the barman answered Remy as he wiped glasses. "I think she's lonely, she looks sad."

"You don't think she's waiting for someone?"

"She's been here almost three hours, that's a long wait."

"Maybe she'd like some mixed company," Remy suggested. "Someone who isn't trying to hit on her. Come on, _chère_."

They made her way over to the table and Rogue slipped into the opposite side of the booth, while Remy slipped in next to Emma, blocking her exit.

Emma sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, you always were persistent, LeBeau."

"What, no Remy?"

"No," she glared at him. "Look, I know why you're here and I don't know, so leave me alone."

"I don't believe you," Remy said. "We've come a long way, I'll pay for the information if I have to."

"Like I need your money." Emma rolled her eyes.

"Then just tell us what you know, for old times sake?"

"Please, you weren't that good in bed."

Rogue stifled a smirk at Remy's affronted expression.

"Emma-"

"No!" she turned to him, giving him the full force of her icy glare. She wasn't called Frost for nothing.

"Fine." Remy made to leave so Rogue stood up and leaned over the table, holding her hand out.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, sorta," Rogue said, holding her hand out to the other woman.

Emma hesitated for a moment, but good breeding won out and she shook Rogue's hand.

"Likewise."

Rogue held on for perhaps five seconds and Remy laid Emma down on the seat when she let go. No one seemed to have noticed, so Remy went to the bar.

"She passed out on us," he told the friendly bartender. "Maybe someone better see she gets home okay."

The barman nodded and sighed. "I hate it when people can't hold their liquor."

Remy steered Rogue out to the street and as soon as they were outside, Rogue put her hands to her temples.

"Rogue?"

"Just gimme a sec."

Remy steered her to the car, dug through her pockets for the keys and put her in the passenger seat. He got in the drivers side and pulled away, looking for the first hotel he could find.

"Getting any better?" Remy asked her.

Rogue didn't answer but continued rubbing her temples.

Remy thought about Ginny, the hypnotist who had helped him. She was still living in Philadelphia and he wondered if he should take Rogue straight there rather than finding a hotel. It would be about a twelve hour drive, maybe less if he put his foot down. She could have the help she needed by tomorrow morning.

Finally Rogue removed her hands from her temples.

"You okay?"

"I'm not sure."

"Did you get anything?"

Rogue swallowed. "I'm afraid to look," she confessed.

"Afraid?"

"There's so many new voices in my head that aren't properly filed away, and there's something in Emma's memories that's going to upset me, I think. I don't trust myself to look at them without losing myself."

Remy nodded his understanding. "That hypnotist that I told you about, she lives in Phily. I can get you there by tomorrow."

"She's not related to Mesmero, is she?"

"No, not as far as I know."

Rogue thought about it for a moment then nodded. "Okay."

Remy headed towards the I-90.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep," he suggested. "Maybe when you wake up, we'll be there."


	9. Chapter 9

Well, I've had an awful cold the past few days, which is kind of eugh! for me, but on the bright side means that other than work, I don't feel like doing anything that required the slightest bit of physical exertion, thus giving me lots of time to work on this. It's been kind of nice actually, like 'comfort fic for the writers soul'. Don't worry, I definitely didn't go all mushy with the characters.

Thank you all for your reviews, they really spurred me on.

Anyway, I have a nice long chapter for y'all, after a few more questions...

**Q&A**

_What did Rogue find from Emma?_ Read on, that's covered in this chapter.

_What will happen with the hypnotist? _Well that's revealed in this chapter too, so enough said!

_Why involve Mystique?_ In the beginning of this story, Remy is still in the 'bad guy' camp, so finding out Rogue's fate from a fellow bad guy makes sense. And as he says, the X-Men would never have asked for his help. He took the money because while he's becoming a good guy, he's not perfect and seriously, who would throw $300,000 away! At least he didn't keep it for himself.

_Is the hypnotist Mesmiro's daughter? _No, but her surname is Lycos, which is a tip of the hat to the comic character Sauron (AKA Karl Lykos) who also hypnotic powers. But they're not related as such, just a nod to comic cannon.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Ginny Lycos lived in a townhouse in the suburbs of Philidelphia. She worked from home and had a therapy room set aside to see clients. The very normalcy of the setting made Rogue feel reassured as they approached the house.

"Are you sure she'll see us?" Rogue asked.

"I called her from the road while you were asleep, she put some time aside to see you."

Remy knocked on the door, vividly remembering when his Tante Mattie had brought him here. He had been so frightened, felt so lost. He wondered if Rogue felt the same.

The woman who opened the door was in her 40's with a friendly face and a halo of dark brown, curly hair. There was nothing threatening about her at all, but Rogue had to wonder if she was perhaps using her hypnosis to relax them.

"Remy," she kissed his cheek in greeting. "So good to see you again."

"And you, Ginny." He stepped back. "And this is Rogue, the friend I was telling you about."

Rogue held a gloved hand out. "Nice to meet you."

"And you. Come in, both of you."

They walked past what to Rogue looked like a treatment room and instead went into the kitchen where Ginny served coffee.

"I see you know my weakness," Rogue teased, though she was a little disconcerted with what was about to happen, and only half joking.

"Mine too," Ginny assured her. She poured the coffees and left them to cream and sugar to their own tastes. "Now, the way this works is that I look into your mind and see what emotions are causing you the most trouble, we then work to fix those."

"So you're a telepath?"

"Not exactly. I describe my gift as empathic telepathy. When I look into someone's mind I can't usually see their memories or hear their thoughts, I simply see what I call an emotional landscape. As in all things, there must be balance among the emotions and when there isn't, that person has problems."

"What kind of problems?"Rogue asked.

"That depends on which emotions are out of balance and are, essentially, suffocating the other emotions. Someone with too much anger for example, will often be unable to see the good in life or experience joy. Likewise, too much sorrow will also snuff out happiness and lead to depression. Conversely, someone who feels too much joy or happiness will make impulsive and often bad decisions."

"So what do you do?"

"Well ideally we'd have a few sessions during which time I will try to restrain the damaging emotions to let the others breath freely. Since we don't have that luxury, I'll be doing a three hour session and giving you some meditation exercises to take away. The more you do the exercises, the more quickly you will heal."

"I don't get it, how can other emotions be suffocated though?"

"It's hard to explain, but picture the mind as a room with a finite amount of space. Too much of one emotion cramps the other emotions and starts to kill them off. They never completely die though and can usually be revived. As you are still quite young, the damage your unhealthy emotions has caused shouldn't be too great, but I can't say for sure without taking a look."

"And that can really affect my powers? You can make my voices shut up?"

"Everything about us is linked to our emotions to some degree. Studies have proven that positive thinking can improve recovery rates for certain diseases, and happy people get sick less often. Your powers are a part of your body, so they too are affected by how you feel."

Rogue thought that over as she sipped her coffee. Giving the girl time to think, Ginny turned to Remy.

"And what about you, how are your powers?" she asked.

"Never better. Took a few weeks, but I haven't had any flair up's in years."

"Glad to hear it." Ginny smiled.

"Okay," Rogue pipped up. "I'll do it."

"Good. Now, look into my eyes, don't worry about blinking, this isn't a staring contest, just don't look away."

Rogue did as she said, watching in fascination as various emotions flickered over Ginny's face. Finally she blinked a few times and looked away.

"You have quite a muddled landscape in there," Ginny said. "I'm guessing you have experienced a lot of betrayal in your life and nothing has been easy, has it?"

Rogue nodded. "So what, now you damp down my anger and everything's fine?"

"Actually no. Your most damaging emotions are guilt and frustration. You do have a lot of anger, especially recently you seem to be bottling up your anger, but you don't let it rule you as some do. I also believe that if you learn how to deal with your guilt and handle your frustration, your anger will calm itself, naturally."

Rogue looked down at her coffee cup; she hated thinking about Cody and all the others that she had absorbed.

"You don't have to, but it might help me if you tell me why you feel so guilty and what causes your frustration."

Rogue remained staring at her coffee cup until both Remy and Ginny thought that she wouldn't answer.

"The frustration has always been there," Rogue admitted. "I grew up in care and it didn't seem to matter what I did, I never got to stay with the people I liked. Even when I did my best to be good, to please them, after a few months I'd be shipped back to a home or new foster parents. I began to act out. Then Irene took me in and that was great for a while, until I realised that she only too me in so that she and my adopted mother could use me for my powers." She sounded bitter.

"You don't like your powers, do you?"

"Are you kidding me? Remy must have told you want I can do, I'm like a vampire, praying on other people, sucking their souls out. That's one of the names that used to call me in school. Everyone wants to use me for my powers, always for their benefit though, never mine. And even when I'm helping people, they always hate that I get some of their memories and they're really cagey around me after that. Like I'm going to tell the world they wet the bed until they were 11 or whatever. I can't win." Rogue let out a long sigh.

"But you don't share their personal secrets, do you?"

"Not unless I have a good reason to, and for personal stuff that's almost never."

"And what causes your guilt, it must be more than just how you view your powers."

"That's most of it, I don't like hurting people, especially innocent people like Cody, he was my first... well he wasn't even a boyfriend, just some boy who liked me."

"And what about the rest of your guilt, where does that stem from."

"Sometimes i do bad things."

"Like what?"

"The worst was probably... I, uh, I tried to kill my mother once. For a long while, I thought I'd succeeded."

"But she is alive?"

"Yeah."

"Yet you still feel guilty?"

"Not so much for her, but for my brother. We'd only just found out we were related and it really broke him up."

"Guilt is a wasted emotion, Rogue."

She looked up sharply. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Just what I said. Guilt only harms you and the person or persons you believe you have harmed won't care if you feel bad or not. The best thing to do is to learn from a mistake and vow to never repeat it. Wallowing in guilt doesn't help anyone move forward, especially you."

Rogue couldn't remember a time when she hadn't felt guilty. One of her earliest memories was thinking that she must have done something awful to make her real parents reject her.

"What about your inability to touch?" Ginny asked.

Rogue sighed. "I've been trying to overcome it for years but it just doest work. It doesn't matter how hard I work or how well I follow the professors guidelines. Sometimes I think that I'll never get it."

"Thank you for telling me. Now, if we move through into the treatment room, I'll put you into a trance and we can begin."

"What kind of trance?" Rogue wanted to know.

"It's best described as a light sleep, like the dreams you have just as you're about to wake. You will remember everything that happens and will be able to control what goes on."

"Okay."

Remy went with them and sat reading magazines as for the next three hours, as Rogue and Ginny worked. They confronted a lot of memories that Rogue felt guilty or frustrated over, then they didn't speak for half an hour or more as Ginny worked on harmonising Rogue's emotions, then worked on keeping her emotions in check and in proportion. Finally Ginny taught her how to self-hypnotize and repeat the exercises on her own.

He could remember the process himself, how she had taught him to let of his anger, to kill off the malevolent parts of it and allow his other emotions to breath. It hadn't exactly been a miracle cure but there was a marked improvement in his powers and by following her instructions over the next six weeks, he was able to gain total control.

He didn't dare hope that this would allow Rogue to touch though because she was right, she had already been working on that for years. He only hoped that Rogue could get the voices to calm down, and maybe come to terms with her past a little.

For Remy, life on the streets was hard, even more so with his mutated eyes. No one gave him a break and indeed he received a lot of beatings from other street kids because he was different. That was why he was such a good fighter these days, because he'd had to learn young.

Then Jean-Luc had adopted him and for a time he dared to believe that his luck might have changed, until it became clear that Jean-Luc was only interested in his mutation. The punishments that man had for not being perfect were cruel and each second he was locked on the closet, or tied to a chair, or denied food just made him angrier.

So angry that he couldn't see that Henri, Mercy and Tante Mattie were trying to reach out to him, to help him, to love him. He couldn't see that everyone else around his father also hated the man and were usually on his side.

His anger had made him reckless, even before his powers manifested. He would steal things on impulse from dangerous targets. He went out drinking far too young, took up smoking and began womanising, unable to see that he was really just hurting himself, risking himself.

He was almost 16 when Tante brought him to Ginny, and he had been heading straight down a path to self destruction.

Since then he had rebuild the damaged relationships with His family, save for Lean-Luc, and he had stopped or reigned in his more reckless pastimes. He still drank, but usually not too much. He quit smoking. He never engaged in unsafe sex and even cut back a little when he realised that the affection he got from those women wasn't real, or at least, it wasn't really the kind of affection that he wanted to be receiving.

So his father didn't love him, so what? His brother did. Mercy did. Tante did. His cousins did.

So he had started his life on the street? At least he didn't end it there.

Remy had began to count his blessings rather than his curses.

He still had wounds, he still did some things that he wasn't proud of, but overall he was a much better man these days. He could look himself in the mirror and actually like the man who looked back at him. He hoped that Ginny could provide the same kind of peace to Rogue. She deserved a little bit of happiness.

* * *

Though she felt like she had been asleep for three hours, Rogue was dog tired by the end of the session and Remy drove them straight to a nice hotel, booked a suite and settled her into bed. He had driven through the night to get here, so he climbed in beside her as he usually did, and went to sleep too.

He was woken up that evening by his phone, he muted it and took it into the bathroom to answer so that he didn't wake Rogue. It was his cousin, Theo, letting him know that Bella Donna had confirmed that the job was complete and that she was backing off him and Rogue.

"You sure she's telling the truth, she'll leave us alone now?"

"Are you kidding? She was jumping around here like an ADHD kid on a sugar rush, said that was the best present you couda given her. Trust me, you're safe... till the next time you piss her off."

Remy let out a long sigh of relief. "Merci, Theo. Tell her the second half of her payment will be transferred tonight. And thank her for me."

"Will do. You coming home soon?"

"Don't know yet. Don't count on it."

"Just keep in touch."

"Will do." They hung up and Remy returned to the bedroom and transferred the funds using his phone.

When he had done that, he was surprised to realise that Rogue hadn't awoken him with any nightmares. It could have been that he was too deeply asleep to notice, but he hoped not. He hoped that it was a sign that her emotions had been calmed and that order was being restored to her mind.

He grabbed a quick shower and as he came out, saw that Rogue was stirring too.

"How are you feeling, _chère_?"

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Usually her first action upon waking was to rub her temples.

"Better," she said after a moment to consider. "The voices are still there but it's like they're... more organised? Does that make sense."

"Your power probably comes with the natural ability to file away the psyches you absorb, and now that that's easier, so yeah it makes sense."

Rogue stretched and her stomach rumbled.

"Why don't you grab a shower, _chère_, and I'll order us some room service."

"Sounds wonderful, but put some clothes on, you walking around clad only is a towel is down right dangerous."

"You scared of me?" he teased, pleased that her mood seemed lighter.

"It ain't me I'm scared for, swamp rat. Now put some clothes on before I put you in a coma for a year."

"Promises, promises," he laughed, but he did grab some clean clothes and dressed while Rogue was in the bathroom. He called down to room service and ordered two double burgers with extra sides of fries, coleslaw and onion rings. Neither of them had eaten for over a day so they both deserved a chance to pig out a little.

Rogue came out a little later, clad in only two towels, one over her hair, the other leaving very little to the imagination.

"Now who's to blame if I go into a coma?" he teased.

Rogue tried to glare but couldn't. "It's just an oversight, swamp rat. You stay over there, and keep your hands where I can see 'em!"

Remy raised his hands in surrender while Rogue dug through her bag for some clothes, then a knock came at the door.

"Can I open that?" he asked.

Rogue scowled but didn't answer, so Remy got to his feet, keeping his arms raised as he headed for the door. The devil in him made him lightly pinch her butt as he passed, making he shriek. Remy chuckled and opened the room door while Rogue ran back into the bathroom to dress. The bellboy laid the food out on the table then left with a healthy tip, just as a dressed Rogue emerged from the bathroom.

"What smells so good?" she asked, taking one of the plate covers off to view the contents. She quickly sat herself down and began eating. They were both a little ravenous so neither spoke until they'd eaten enough to take the edge off.

"So, do you feel strong enough to access Emma's memories yet?" Remy asked. That had been the whole point in bringing her here, or at least the need for the urgency.

"After dinner," Rogue nodded. "I at least want a chance to digest something before I lose my lunch." She glanced at the clock by the bed which read 11 P.M. "And lord knows I'm not going to be getting any sleep tonight."

"I can think of things to keep us occupied," Remy smirked.

Rogue threw a fry at him.

"So, how do you know Emma?" she asked.

"I've done some jobs for her club before. Then we had a short and torrid affair about two years ago."

"How short?" Rogue tried not to sound jealous.

"One day, two nights," he admitted. "And for once, she skipped out on me! Can you believe that?"

"I think I like this Emma," Rogue teased.

"_C__hère, _you wound Remy when you speak like that."

"And you annoy Rogue when you refer to yourself in the third person."

"Fine, I'll stop, if you promise not to call me swamp rat ever again."

Rogue pretended to weigh her options for a few moments. "Nope, sorry, no deal."

"You like it really."

"I do not. I just enjoy insulting you more than I am annoyed by your unusual language skills."

They had finished eating now, so Remy cleaned up the plates and put the trays outside the door in the hallway. Then he raided the mini-bar for some water bottles and handed one to Rogue as he sat next to her on the couch.

"So?"

"Okay, I know I can't stall any longer."

She closed her eyes and tried to pull Emma's memory to the forefront of her mind. It was surprisingly quick to obey.

"The Hellfire Club have been trying to harness something called the Phoenix for centuries," Rogue explained. "It's a force that lives inside powerful mutants and they believe if they can harness this force and control it, they can literally rule the world. They've track it through it's lifetimes. Sometimes they have tried to harness it before but have always been unsuccessful, but when Mutants became widely known, they decided to try harnessing it with telepaths. They've been recruiting powerful telepaths for a decade now, hoping to overcome the phoenix and turn it to their will. What they didn't know though, was who it was possessing in this lifetime. They've been searching for years until-"

Rogues eyes shop open and her hands began to tremble.

"Rogue, what is it? What's wrong." He took hold of her hands and held them firmly and finally Rogue turned to face him. Her expression was one of shock, fear and pain.

"It's Jean. The Phoenix lives in Jean!"

Remy ran a hand through his damp hair as he tried to process everything Rogue had told him.

"So this club psychically attacked Jean, which is what caused the Phoenix to blow up the mansion?"

"Exactly. Emma thinks it was defending itself."

"And it travelled across the country to wipe out the threat?"

"Yes."

Okay, he thought he had that much straight. "So why is Emma alive?"

"They tried once before, a weaker attack, and she realised that they had bitten off more than they could chew but they wouldn't listen to her, so she ran. She was their most powerful telepath and she thinks that they brought in others, hired hands who weren't properly trained. The next attempt was amateurish, using brute force to try and psychically overpower the Phoenix."

"_Merde_," Remy muttered. "So what of the X-men, does she know about them?"

"After the explosion at the mansion, she had a bout of conscience and tried to contact Professor Xavier but had about as much luck as we did. Apparently he erected walls in Jeans mind to keep her safe from the Phoenix, so she thinks that he's the only person powerful enough to defeat it, but she's not exactly hopeful."

"So we still don't know where the X-Men are, or even if they're alive?"

Rogue shook her head. "Emma wondered if something like cerebro would make her powerful enough to contact the professor psychically but there is only one cerebro."

"And that got blown up in the mansion," Remy finished.

"Maybe not!" Hope filled Rogue's features for the first time since she had opened her eyes. "When Mystique blew the mansion up, Scott hid the students in Cerebro since it was the most protected place. A lot of the lower levels survived relatively in tact, actually. Maybe with not too many repairs, we could get it working again and Emma could find the Professor."

"I don't think she's gonna help us, _chère_."

"Well first we need to see what state cerebro is in and if we can repair it, then if Emma won't help, well she's not the only telepath on the planet."

Remy nodded his understanding.

"Okay, we'll head to Bayville tomorrow."

"We've been sleeping all day, why not leave now?"

As opposed to Rogue's excitement at finally finding some answers, Remy only felt an increasing sense of dread because as Rogue got what she wanted, namely her family back, it would only pull her further and further away from him.

Still, he couldn't deny her anything.

"Sure," he smiled.

They didn't have much packing to do so they were on the road less than fifteen minutes later.

It was only a three hours drive from Philadelphia to Bayville, so they arrived at around 2.30am.

Thought it was dark, Remy could see from the mansion gates that the building was nothing but a tangled mess of rubble. The gate security had been forced open by the police so they were able to drive straight in, parking about 100 feet from the mansion where the rubble on the drive became too much to manoeuvre around.

"Oh my God," Rogue whispered as they got closer. She had seen the pictures in the police report so she felt that she should have been prepared for the destruction, but seeing a photo and seeing it in person was vastly different.

Remy put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him.

They tried to look inside and see if there was a basement, or any signs of a basement, but there was simply too much rubble in the way.

"It's all right, Rogue, whatever happens, I'm here, okay?"

She nodded.

"So how do we get to the lower levels?" he asked.

"Uh, over here." She walked off to the side of the building to a large manhole cover, about fifty feet away from the end of the main structure.

Remy pulled the cover off, noticing that it came away with relative ease, but then he supposed that the whole place was rebuilt two years ago, so it hadn't really had time to rust or corrode. He looked into the hole but it was so black that he couldn't see how far down it went. He guessed pretty far down, at least 20 feet, probably more.

"I'll go first," he said, wanting time to prepare if things down there were bad.

He climbed onto the ladder and descended into the tunnel below. When he reached the bottom it was so black that even with his night vision, he still couldn't see anything. Looking up he could just make out Rogue's silhouette at the top.

"Come on down," he called, but it wasn't said with the usual relish that he would deliver a corny game show line with. He pulled a card out of his pocket and charged it, bathing the tunnel with a soft golden glow.

It looked pretty intact but the glow didn't exactly reach very far. He turned around and jumped as he saw the features of Wolverine, distorted into a twisted nightmare by the flickering light of his charged card. The next thing he knew, he was thrown into the wall, his breath cut off by the hand at his neck and three metallic claws just a hairs breath from his face.

"You better have a good explanation for being here, bub."

Before he could even try to speak with his throat constricted, he heard a thud, then, "Logan, let him go now!"

After that the chamber flooded with light and bodies and lots of high pitched squeals of 'Rogue!' and 'You're alive!' and 'Like, oh my God!' and various combinations of the three.

Remy really wished that they hadn't driven here at night, he was certain he could have handled this much better if he hadn't just had a three hour drive. Plus, Wolverine was still aiming three very sharp claws at him. He considered charging them but knew that Rogue probably wouldn't appreciate him blowing up her friend.

"Logan, let him go now or I swear to God, I will drain you dry!"

Logan finally looked over his shoulder, seemingly having been blissfully ignorant of the kids swarming around him, and finally noticed Rogue.

"Rogue!"

Remy shook his head, so predictable.

"Yeah, now put him down before you do something you'll regret."

"I don't think I'll ever regret skewering this trash."

"That '_trash_' saved my life, now behave!"

Rather reluctantly, Logan released Remy.

"_Merci_," Remy croaked through his damaged neck.

Rogue came up to him to survey the damage. Everyone else had stopped talking and were now just watching the drama unfold.

"Come on," Rogue, put her arm around Remy and led him down the now open tunnel, deeper into the underground facility, the others trailing after her like she was the Pied Piper of Hamlet.

She seated Remy in the underground kitchen and got him a bottle of water for his throat.

"That's gonna bruise," she told him, sending a glare in Logan's direction.

"I'll be fine, _chère_, I've had worse."

The other kids filed in, now with Storm and Beast, and arranged themselves in a circle around Rogue and Remy, making Rogue feel self conscious.

"So, would someone like to tell me what's the hell is going on here?" Logan finally asked.

"It's nice to see you too!" Rogue snapped. "I thought y'all might have been dead! I'm almost sorry I was worried about you."

Kurt came up to Rogue and put an arm around her shoulder. "We feared that about you too," he said kindly. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

Rogue let go of some of her anger, took a deep breath and turned to Kurt; Kitty was hovering beside him. She hugged them both then pulled away before she could start crying.

"I was kidnapped," Rogue began but before she could continue, she heard Logan unsheathe his claws and herd something heavy being slammed into something solid. She turned to see Remy now dangling from the wall, Logan holding him off the floor by his neck.

"Logan, put him down! He saved me, he didn't take me!"

Logan hesitated for just a moment too long, causing Rogue to start pulling her glove off. He dropped the Cajun, none too gently, and stepped away.

Rogue once again helped Remy into a chair and this time sat beside him, guarding him.

"It was Weapon X who took me, okay? Now can we please stop hurting the man who got me out and brought me home?"

Logan turned away but didn't offer any apology.

"We're sorry, Rogue," Storm once again played peacemaker and sat down beside Rogue at the table. She gestured for the children to do the same so that this felt a little more normal. Logan however, remained standing, pacing the kitchen like a caged animal.

"Please, tell us your story," Storm prompted.

"Well there's not much more to tell of that bit." She wasn't going to go in to details in front of the kids. She didn't even want to burden her friend, Kitty, or her brother with what happened in that place. "They took me, Remy found out, planned an escape and busted me out. We tried to call to get a ride home but there was no answer and we discovered that the mansion was gone."

"Why did they take you?" Scott asked. He looked haggard, like he hadn't slept well in weeks.

"After that incident at the concert, apparently my ability to recall other mutants powers caught their attention. They thought I'd make the perfect weapon," she said bitterly.

"So when we couldn't get old of you, I called my brother to pick us up," Remy interjected, wanting to move the conversation off those unpleasant memories. He didn't want her to have a panic attack in front of her friends because he knew it would embarrass her. "Back in New Orleans, we tried to piece together what had happened. We picked up the trail of the Phoenix and followed the sightings until it blew up the Hellfire club. Then I used my contacts to track down one of the members and find out what happened."

"We know about Jean," Rogue said softly. "I don't suppose-"

"We still haven't found her," Scott cut her off, looking away to hide his own grief. All of the students looked uncomfortable actually.

"She didn't do this," Rogue said. "The Phoenix is an entity that lives in powerful mutants, moving from one person to another when it's host dies. Jean didn't kill those people, the Phoenix did, and only because it was trying to defend itself from the Hellfire Club. Jean is just an innocent bystander."

Scott looked back to her, hopeful.

"So who is this Hellfire Club and what did they do to..." Storm didn't know how to explain what they did, or if they did it to Jean to the Phoenix.

"They wanted to control it, to use it's power for their own ends. They've been around for centuries, tracking it, and this time they tried to use telepaths to harness it."

"How did you find all this out?" Kitty asked. She looked very young dressed in her night things. They all did.

"One telepath, Emma Frost, ran away and I absorbed her for information." Rogue was surprised that the Professor hadn't pieced any of this together himself. She looked around and noticed that he wasn't present. "Where's Professor X?"

"He's in a coma," Storm said sadly. "We followed the phoenix to Los Angeles but we were too late to stop the explosion there. Afterwards, Charles tried to fight Jean- I mean, the Phoenix, and it took it's toll on him."

"Will he be all right?"

Hank stepped forward. "He has brain activity and seems to be coming out of the coma a little each day. However there is no saying for certain how long the coma will last."

"Why did you come back if you thought we were gone?" Logan asked, though he didn't look at her.

"Meeting Emma gave me an idea and I wanted to see if cerebro could be fixed. I knew that no bodies had been found after the explosion so I figured if we could fix it, we could drag Emma back here to try and find the professor and y'all."

"Smart thinking," Hank said. "We are working on fixing cerebro at the moment so that we can track Jea- the Phoenix when Charles wakes up."

"Emma thought that he was probably the only person who could overcome the Phoenix, but if he's already tried..." She didn't want to finish that thought, because it would mean that Jean was truly lost to them.

"We'll find a way, _chère_," Remy said, putting an arm around Rogue's shoulders and drawing her to him. She rested her head on his shoulder.

Logan's nostrils flared but he was smart enough not to grab the Cajun again.

"Well, I think that's quite enough excitement for one night," Storm said, getting to her feet. "Back to bed, children, we'll discuss this further in the morning."

Somewhat reluctantly, the children filed out, except, Scott, Kurt and Kitty.

"I'm so glad you're back, we were so worried." Kitty said.

"Ja, the professor searched night and day for you, but he could find no trace," Kurt added.

Rogue left Remy's embrace and hugged them both.

"The facility was a new one and really well hidden, in South America. Don't blame yourselves, they were very through."

"Are you really okay?" Kurt asked.

"I was I in bad way for a while," Rogue confessed. "But Remy's been a big help and I'm getting better." Kurt didn't look convinced. "I swear."

Now that the children were gone, the adults all sat closer to Rogue and Remy.

"So, do you want to tell me what really happened?" Logan practically demanded.

Remy glared at him. "You were in Weapon X, don't make her relive that."

Logan had the good grace to look ashamed. "Sorry, kid."

"It's okay." While she didn't say what had happened in the facility, she did go into much more detail about how they took her and between them, what happened after their escape. They explained about about being followed, the trackers in their backs, a little about her PTSD, Emma, Rogue's problems with the voices and Ginny. The only thing they left out was Mystique, which Rogue didn't want anyone knowing about yet in case they judged Remy incorrectly, like she had.

"Which brings us up to right now," she finished.

"I think we need to speak to this Emma," Hank said. "She seems to be the most knowledgeable about this force."

"She's not exactly helpful," Rogue cautioned. "Why do you think I had to drain her for information?"

"I can be very persuasive," Logan said, cracking his knuckles.

"Emma can turn into a diamond form, M'sieu Serval, your claws ain't gonna scare her."

"Did I ask for your opinion, Gumbo?"

"So how long have you been back here?" Rogue quickly changed the subject. "The police reports didn't mention any of you, and we tried calling."

"We followed Jean," Hank began to explain. "Then after the events in Los Angeles, the professor was admitted to hospital, where he had to stay until they deemed it safe for him to travel. We arrived back at the institute three days ago."

Rogue nodded; Remy had been right, if they had come here sooner, there wouldn't have been anyone here anyway.

"Well, what I said to the children is actually true for us adults, we should try and get some sleep too," Storm said before tensions could rise again. "Rogue, there's a second cot in Kitty's room, I'm sure she won't mind sharing. Gambit-"

"I prefer Remy, 'less I'm on a job," he interrupted her.

"Remy it is then. Most of the boys are already doubled up but maybe Hank wouldn't mind sharing."

"Of course not," Hank said with a welcoming smile.

"We slept most of yesterday," Rogue explained, "We've only been up for six hours so I probably won't sleep. Besides, I'd rather we shared a room, so we'll sort something out tomorrow."

"Share!" Logan growled. "You are not sharing a room! I am not having having Gumbo stay with us and I definitely will not allow you two to sleep together!"

"Logan we've been sharing a room ever since he rescued me!" Rogue got to her feet, her anger rising as Logan refused to see reason.

"Doesn't matter, now you're under my roof so you live by my rules!"

"It's not your roof, it's the professors and beside, it doesn't even _have_ a roof right now!"

"Don't split hairs with me, young lady, the professor is out of action right now and what I say goes!"

Rogue was about to reply with another angry retort when Remy placed a hand on her arm. Instantly some of her anger drained away.

Remy looked to Storm and Hank, who seemed the most reasonable of the group.

"Perhaps Rogue and I could have a moment to talk in private? I'm sure that wouldn't break any house rules."

"Of course," Storm agreed, and the others began to file out. Logan was the last to leave the kitchen.

"I'll be just outside," he said, the threat in his words hard to miss.

Once they were alone, Remy turned to Rogue. Now that they had privacy, her eyes were shining with tears.

"I'm sorry," she tried to explain. "After everything you've done for me-"

"Not your fault, _chère_. I knew this wouldn't be an easy sell."

"I... I don't know if I'll be able to sleep without you there," she confessed.

Remy knew how such a confession of weakness must pain her and his heart swelled that she trusted him enough to admit it. He put his hand to her face, careful that only the gloved palm touched her cheek while his fingers rested on her hair.

"You will, _chère_. You are a strong woman and you _will not_ let them break you. Not the Rogue I know. Besides, I think your session with Ginny really helped, last night you didn't have any nightmares, at all."

"I didn't?"

He couldn't be completely sure, but he didn't think so. Besides, she needed her confidence boosting, not eroding.

"No," he said, looking into her eyes.

She put her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. She always felt so safe in his embrace. Remy held her until she pulled away.

"So what now?" she asked. "If you want to leave, I'll go with you."

"_Chère_, you just found your friends again, I can't take you away from them."

"But what about you? Logan-"

"Ssh," he soothed. "I'm going to find a hotel to book into but don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow, I promise."

"I don't want you to go."

"I don't want to either, but I'm just leaving the school, not you, okay? I will be back."

Rogue nodded and buried her head in his chest once again, breathing in the scent of herbs, spices and man that was unique to Remy. They hadn't been out of each others company for any extended period of time in weeks, so she wanted to remember everything about him now that he was going.

A part of her was worried that he wouldn't come back, that dealing with Logan would be too much for him and he would just head back home, but deep down she knew that he wasn't like that. He would never have taken Sarah in if he was.

"I know." She held him tighter for a moment then stepped away.

Remy took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Until tomorrow, _chère_." And with that he walked out of the kitchen.

Logan was waiting just outside the door and with his enhanced senses, Remy knew he would have heard everything. The others seemed to have gone to bed.

"Hear anything interesting?" Remy asked.

"Look, bub, I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, but it won't work, got it? Rogue is off limits to you."

Remy shook his head sadly. "You just heard her offer to leave with me. The fact is that this isn't a game, I only want what is best for Rogue, which is why I'm leaving her here with you but believe me, I don't want to be without her and if you force our hand, you will lose."

With that he turned and headed back towards the hatch he had entered through.

Logan let out a low growl as he watched the Cajun go, then headed into the kitchen where Rogue was now making herself a pot of tea.

"You should go to bed," she said without enthusiasm.

"I need to talk to you."

"But I don't need to listen."

"Rogue, you don't know what guys like that are really like! I don't know what his angle is yet, but he's using you!"

"First of all, I have absorbed enough assholes in my time to know all about guys like 'that', and a lot worse. Second of all, you don't train to pick lethal restraints that could kill you if you do it wrong, just because you're working an angle. Remy saved me and he's been there for me ever since. That's all I need to know."

"Rogue, that's hero worship, you're not seeing him clearly."

"I think I know him better than anyone, at least in this place."

"Rogue, you ain't gettin' it, this ain't gonna happen!" His voice rose in anger.

"No, you aren't getting it, it already _has_ happened." Rogue was surprised by how calm she was, and tried to dismiss the fear that she felt. She knew Logan would never harm her, but that didn't stop her feeling a tiny bit afraid.

"That's it, I forbid you to see him!"

Rogue looked hurt and Logan almost regretted his words.

"Okay, that's enough!" Storm stood in the doorway. "Everyone can hear you and like it or not, we have children to think about. Now keep it down or I'll finish it!"

Storm rarely got angry and Rogue was pleased to see that she was glaring at Logan, not her. She took a deep breath and turned to Logan.

"Look, you ain't my father, Logan, and you're never gonna be, but for a while there, you were my friend."

"Stripes, listen to me-"

"No, you listen to me. Maybe Remy will leave me heartbroken but that is my decision to make, and let me tell you something, even though I haven't had a boyfriend before, I have still been heartbroken. You can't protect me from pain, only console me when it happens. And it will happen, be it at Remy's hand or another one of life's tragedies." She took another calming breath before continuing. "I'm an adult now, a grown up, legally of age and I can make my own mistakes. If you keep on trying to control my life, you'll just find yourself cut out of it. I want you in my life, Logan, but I don't need you in it any more."

"And what, you need him?"

"For now, yes."

Logan turned and stormed out of the room.

"Are you okay?" Storm asked.

Rogue finally sat down at the table with her cup of tea.

"Yeah," she said with a sigh.

Storm came and sat opposite her.

"He means well, you know."

"I know. I just... it hurts."

"Because you care about Gambit?"

"Well yeah, but not just that." She looked down into her mug for a moment, as though it held some mysterious answers. "That could have been me, you know?"

"What could have?"

"Remy. I joined Magneto's Brotherhood, remember? If you guys hadn't tried hard to befriend me, I'd still be with them, or worse. It hurts to think that Logan would reject me just because I made a few wrong choices."

"Remy is a few years older than you though."

"But he hasn't had a chance to change, no one has ever offered him that." She sipped her drink. "Did you know that he grew up on the streets, getting picked on for as long as he can remember because of his eyes. When the Thieves adopted him, it was only because their head man wanted to use Remy for his powers. The things that man did to Remy make Mystique look like a candidate for Mom of the Year. But still, he went back and rescued his father. I killed Mystique, or I thought I had. Why do I get a second chance but he doesn't?"

"I'm willing to give him a chance, Rogue, and I'm sure Hank and the Professor will too."

"Thanks," she smiled sadly. "Did you know he has a daughter? Adopted, of course, not really his. And she doesn't call him dad or anything, but he looks after her."

"I didn't know that."

"Her name is Sarah," Rogue said, a smile forming on her lips as she remembered the girl. "She's a mutant too and like Remy, her's is visible. She has bony growths of some kind on her face and pink hair, so it's hard for her to hide. Her Mom and the group they lived with were killed by the Friends of Humanity and she was the only survivor. Remy found her and he's been looking after her ever since. He's not a monster."

Storm reached over and took her hand. "I know."

"He doesn't want to send her away to school in case she feels like she's been abandoned or rejected again, so he was thinking of asking to join even before he helped me escape."

"How old is Sarah?"

"Six. She's so sweet though, you can't believe anyone that would want to hurt her."

"Then I hope I get a chance to meet her."

"Me too." Rogue smiled.

* * *

Logan didn't want to eavesdrop any more but the place was quiet and made of metal, which reflects sound well, so even though he was back in his room, he could hear Rogue and Storm as clearly as if they were standing right beside him.

He still didn't like the Cajun and he still didn't trust him but Rogue's conversation, not to mention her ultimatum earlier, made him realise that he would have to give Gumbo a chance.

He would only be getting once chance mind you, and if he blew it, he was out. No ifs, no buts.

* * *

AN: That was my first experience writing over protective Wolverine! I usually write him as fairly reasonable, but it was kinda fun to make him into an over protective jerk.

*Cue OTT voice over from the 50's* Will Remy come back? Will they get to share a room? Will the professor ever wake up? Tune in next time for the a new thrilling instalment of, Rescue Me!


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for all the reviews again. You guys are the best!

Just one question this time, the other questions will be answered in this chapter._  
_

_I thought Gambit was part of the marauders?_ _And if so then is he in this story?_ IIRC, Remy put the marauders together for Sinister, but was never actually a member. Since Remy's back story is basically unknown in Evolution, and he's already an Acolyte (or was) I decided not to use the Sinister/Mauraders storyline. It's cannon so a lot of people use it, but I wanted not to for a change. He really did rescue Sarah from the FoH, not from the Marauders as in comic canon.

If you really mean was gambit an Acolyte, then yes he was, however I'm assuming they disbanded once they all thought that magneto was killed by Apocalypse in season 4. Remy then stayed in New Orleans once he had rescued his father (with Rogues help).

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Though she hadn't been able to sleep, the next morning Rogue set about helping to fix cerebro. Thankfully with Forge and Hank there to help, the repairs seemed to be going pretty well. How she had ever hoped to fix this with just her and Remy, she would never know. She was probably hoping that it would be fine or just need a fuse changing or something. Well, if the X-Men hadn't been here, she would have been in for a severe disappointment.

Thankfully the danger room was also damaged, although that didn't stop Logan from putting the kids through their paces in more traditional ways. Rogue decided to make herself useful in cerbero in the hopes that she might skip Logan's lessons today, since she had a feeling that he would be taking his anger out on her.

Needless to say, when she levitated to the near the top of cerebro to reattach a panel, she drew a few shocked gasps but Rogue refused to say more than, "They did this to me, now leave it alone."

Obviously her new flying ability made her an excellent candidate for working on cerebro and she was indeed spared lessons with Logan.

She tried not to think about Remy or when he might be back but as the hours ticked by, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that he wouldn't return. Lunchtime came and went with no sign of him. Had she been wrong about him?

She hated that she thought about him so much. She felt as if she was becoming reliant on him, and that wasn't a feeling that someone who called herself Rogue enjoyed. It wasn't like they were married anyway, so chances were that one day he would leave her. And even if they were married, didn't something like two thirds of marriages end in divorce? Marriage was just a bit of paper anyway, it didn't actually mean anything.

And why the hell was she thinking about marriage? Remy had only rescued her a little over a month ago, she had no business thinking about life long commitment.

Where was he? What was taking him so long!

She tried her best to chat to her friends over lunch but they just kept telling her how sorry they were that they hadn't found her, and how much they wanted to make it up to her. If she heard once how hard they tried to look for her, she must have heard it a hundred times that day, but she tried not to let it get on her nerves and kept assuring them that it was okay, but it wasn't.

They were supposed to be heroes after all, so why didn't they find her? Why could one man, a thief no less, do what they couldn't? She bit her tongue though, which felt much easier than it might have been in the past. She tried not to think about it, but the only time she acted mad lately was when she or Remy felt threatened. That wasn't like her. The old her would have simply told them to stop apologising, accompanying it with a glare or threat, and they would have feared her temper enough to stop. She didn't want to think too deeply about where her fire had gone, because what if it never came back?

Instead she tried asking them questions, trying to catch up with what she had missed in her 4 months away, but she was distracted by Remy's absence and to be honest, this was just all a little too 'normal' for her. She remembered sitting with them, sharing hundreds of meals but now, she felt like a different person.

She supposed that nothing would ever be quite the same again, because she wasn't quite the same any more.

Oddly enough, she felt most comfortable the few times she was left alone with Scott. Her crush was long over but unlike the others, he didn't ask her questions, he didn't demand her attention, he just let her be, which she was thankful for. In return, she didn't try to make him talk about Jean either.

He wasn't the same boy that she had left either. For the past few weeks, he had believed that the love of his life was a killer. Even though he now knew the truth, and even if they somehow got Jean back, he would forever be scarred by this incident, as would Jean, she suspected.

There was also a new addition to the team, Piotr Rasputin, also known as Colossus. Rogue had been surprised to see him here, he had been Gambit's fellow acolyte after all, but Kitty quickly filled her in on the reasons he had worked for Magneto, namely that his family had been held hostage. Now that he had freed them and sent them somewhere safe, he wanted to atone for his time with Magneto by joining the X-Men.

At first she had hoped that his presence might bode well for Remy, but it soon became clear that he was such an unassuming, quiet person that it was unlikely he would ever be associated with Remy in any way that benefited Remy.

Okay, maybe Remy was a cocky, slightly immoral, womanising, thief, but damn it, he was a good man too! You just had to look a bit harder with Remy.

The rest of the kids seemed surprisingly resilient to the troubles of late. Some had returned home after the mansion exploded, but most had stayed to help rebuild.

When they finished for the day, she headed into the kitchen for a drink when Bobby ran in, looking like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Rogue, you have got to get up top now!"

"What? Why?"

"You'll see, come on!" He was so excited that he even grabbed her gloved hand and dragged her after him. She could easily have broken his hold even without her new powers, but she hoped that Remy was back and that was what he wanted to show her.

As she got close to the access hatch, she could hear a car horn and wondered what the hell that meant, but Bobby pushed her up the ladder before she couldn't think too much about it. The horn had stopped by the time she climbed out of the hatch and she found herself looking at a massive Winebago parked half way down the driveway, Remy climbing out of it.

She flew over to him so that she didn't have to walk through the rubble.

"What is this?" she asked, stunned by such a turn of events.

"This is our new home, also knows as getting around the rules since we won't actually be living under M'sieu Serval's roof any longer."

The other kids had soon caught up with them and were just as eager to look around as Rogue was. Remy proudly guided Rogue inside and began showing off the features. He didn't care if the other students were there to not.

"It has a 40" flat screen TV, home theatre sound system, satellite TV, seating for 7 in the lounge, an extendible dining section, fully functional kitchen, double fridge freezer, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher."

Rogue looked around in shock. This was more like a posh hotel room than a camper van. This was like something that rock stars used.

The bedroom had a queen sized bed, a 32" TV, wardrobe and large set of drawers. Then she looked into the bathroom, which had a real toilet and a full sized shower.

"What the hell did this cost?" she asked as he guided her into the bedroom.

"Cost doesn't matter," he said blithely. "It's ours now."

The other kids were making themselves at home in the lounge area, turning on the TV (which still needed to be tuned in) and playing around with the music system.

"You break it, you buy it," was all Remy said, apparently quite happy to have them crawling all over his stuff.

"It'll take me a few hours to set up properly." Remy explained as Rogue still seemed rather speechless. "And we should really clear some of the rubble so we can be closer to the mansion for power and such."

Rogue just nodded.

"_Chère_, the suspense is killing me here, do you like it or not?"

She thought her shock was enough to convey how lovely it was, then she realised that she hadn't said anything but ask what it cost. She threw her arms around him and hugged him.

"I love it!"

Remy held her tightly.

"Wow," one of the Jamies said as he opened the fridge. "You even stocked it." His other multiples were going through the cupboards.

Bobby was behind the wheel, pretending to drive it like a race car, Rahne was exploring the games console, Sam was plugging his iPod into the sound system, one Jamie and Ray were jumping on the bed, while Roberto was lounging on the seats, testing their comfort.

"Okay," Remy spoke up, quietening the noise from the kids. "Anyone who helps us clear the driveway and set this place up gets to stay for dinner tonight."

There was a general cry of happiness and they got to work. Rogue cleared most of the driveway with Sam's help since he too had super strength. Bobby and Roberto called on Forge to help them set up the satellite system. Remy and the Jamies set about sorting the water, power and waste, with Rahne supervising.

News of Remy's offer to cook dinner made it back to the basement, though somehow without the 'help' aspect attached, which is how three hours later, once the Winnebago was parked closer to the mansion and fully functional, Remy found himself preparing Jambalaya for everyone. He toned down his usual spices though, since most of these kids wouldn't share his love of all things hot.

The kids were making themselves at home wherever they could find room, Storm and Hank had claimed the main television since they hadn't been able to watch the news properly since the mansion exploded. The kids had claimed the bedroom TV and were watching movies in there. The only person missing was Logan.

He had come to see what all the fuss was about, looked around briefly, then left. Fifteen minutes later they heard the roar of his motorcycle as he tore out of the mansion.

"Where's he goin'?" Rogue asked Storm.

"He wants to try and locate Emma Frost," she said, though she didn't sound like she believed it herself.

"Big baby," Rogue muttered, but Storm heard her and decided that now might be a good time to bring up something that had been troubling her.

"Look, Rogue, I know that you're an adult now and I respect your right to make your own decisions but I just need to know, are you being safe?"

"Safe?"

"Yes, sleeping with Remy?"

"Oh, don't worry, I'd never hurt him."

Storm assumed she meant with her new found strength. "I, uh, no, that wasn't what I meant. I mean are you taking precautions?" Rogue looked confused so she continued. "Against pregnancy."

Rogue's mouth formed an O.

"Storm, I can't touch him. We can't have sex, unless maybe they make a head to toe condom or somethin'."

"But I thought..." Storm blushed. "I'm sorry. Clearly you two are very close and then you say you want to 'sleep together', so I put two and two together and made 5. I thought that as well as using other peoples powers, maybe Weapon X had been able teach you control of your own. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. I should probably have told you everything they did but it's hard, you know? I don't like remembering it. The truth is I don't have control of my own or anyone else's power. The flight, strength an invulnerability that I have all came from one girl, who they made me drain almost dry. Those powers are mine forever now, I guess."

Rogue looked miserable.

"I'm sorry, Rogue, I shouldn't have made assumptions."

"No, it's not your fault. Truth be told, Remy wanting to go out with me anyway kinda threw me for a loop an'... Well, I can't help wondering how long it'll be before he gets tired of the no touching thing. It's not like he doesn't like sex."

"True, but perhaps there are other things you could do that would give you both pleasure but be safe?"

Rogue blushed. "Remy's mentioned that once but I'm not ready. Honestly, I'm scared."

"Has he pressured you?"

"What? God no! He wouldn't. He didn't even pursue me, I had to make the first move, and he's said he'll wait as long as I want. He hasn't even brought it up again. I know he has a bad rep, but just give him a chance, Storm. I mean look." She turned back to the Winnebago, where kids were literally swarming in, on and around the vehicle. "How many men would let a bunch of mutant brats loose on a brand new motorhome? Roberto already burned a hole in one of the leather seats, and I don't even wanna think about what the whole thing cost. I have a feelin' that if I know, I'll be shooing everyone out and wrapping everything in bubble wrap."

Storm laughed. "You have a point. And I will give Remy a chance, I promise."

"Thank you, he won't let you down."

* * *

Remy had been busy preparing the meal, having borrowed the mansions catering size pots and pans, when Piotr stepped into the Winnebago.

"Gambit, it has been too long," The Russian boomed.

Remy's knife almost slipped, and it was not generally considered a good thing for a pickpocket to lose a thumb.

"Pete!" Remy couldn't help the grin that spread across his features, near fatality to his thumb or not. "My God, what are you doing here?" He enveloped Piotr in a bear hug. "It's good to see you, man."

"And you too. I am hearing that you rescued the Rogue?"

Remy shrugged it off. "So what brings you to the X-Geeks?"

"I am here to atone for what I did with Magneto."

"And your family?"

"Save and sound. So, what brings you to join the X-Men."

"Don't know if I can join yet, let alone if I wanna," Remy admitted. "Hey, how come I didn't see you last night?"

"The children tell me that the Rogue is back. I am not knowing Rogue, so I think it best I leave her to her friends and not intrude. Had I known you were here too, I would have come to greet you."

Rogue noticed that many people were watching their interaction and she began to hope that maybe if the affable Piotr liked Remy, the others might see some redeeming qualities in him too.

"You joining us for dinner,_ mon am_i?" Remy asked.

"I am. I have very much missed your cooking."

"So you're the reason I'm suddenly cooking for the whole mansion?"

Piotr shrugged and smiled.

"Well, at least make yourself useful and slice those peppers, would ya?"

The meal went down well with everyone and between the extended dining alcove and the regular seating, everyone found themselves a spot. The music was varied, depending on who got the the music system first with their MP3 players, or who snuck in while no one else was looking, but the atmosphere was more relaxed than Storm could remember since the mansion blew up. Even Scott looked happier, though he kept to himself.

Storm took the opportunity to watch Rogue and Gambit that evening and was somewhat surprised to see that despite everything, Rogue seemed more confident in herself than she used to be.

She had nothing to compare Gambit against, other than a few fights and her own preconceptions of him, but he seemed a thoroughly laid back and easy going kind of man, which was a stark contrast from when they fought him. Though he never seemed to lose his sense of humour, in battle he was controlled and precise. She found it hard to match that image up with the young man who was now walking around, serving seconds to anyone who wanted more and laughing at something Colossus had said.

He also paid Rogue a lot of attention, which is not to say that he was constantly at her side but wherever he was, he kept looking over to her.

Storm wouldn't claim to be an expert in matters of the heart, but she would bet good money that Remy LeBeau was in love. Rogue on the other hand, well she too seemed very smitten with the Cajun but it looked like she was trying to fight it. She looked to him just as frequently but when caught, she would blush and look away, while Remy didn't seem to care who saw him staring.

Unfortunately, it didn't matter how hard Rogue tried to deny how she felt, Storm could see that if she wasn't in love, she certainly cared very deeply for Remy and were anything to happen, Rogue would be devastated.

Unlike Logan, Storm didn't believe that Rogue needed to be protected from heartache, she believed it was something everyone experienced, some more than once. At the same time though, first love was rarely so strong as this and Rogue just wasn't well equipped to handle heartbreak.

Storm vowed to keep her eye on Remy and make her own judgement about him. The flaws she held against him were mostly by reputation (other than being an enemy, but he was hardly the first X-Man to have changed sides) so she vowed to try her best and view Remy for what he did now, rather than what past sins he may have committed.

He earned his first point when he noticed Rogue flagging and ushered everyone out, despite the still relatively early hour.

Storm waited until almost everyone was gone to wish them goodnight, and then she pulled Rogue into a hug.

"It's so good to have you home," she said. Then she turned to Remy and held her hand out. "Welcome to the Institute, Remy."

"_Merci_, Storm." His smile was surprised.

* * *

Rogue awoke the next morning to find Remy's warm chest pressed into her back as his finger tips traced unrecognisable patterns on her stomach. It felt wonderful to awake in his arms. She couldn't help but wonder how much better it would feel if there wasn't a sheet between them.

"Well this is new," she said, turning to face him. "You're usually up well before me."

"It's our first morning in our new home," he said with an impish grin. "It seemed fitting that we wake up together."

Rogue was touched by the gesture, then a scent caught her nose.

"Is that bread?"

"Croissants to be precise." His smile turned a little sheepish. "I had to do something to keep busy."

Rogue could have been offended that he had still gotten up before her and then tried to pretend that he hadn't but truth be told, the delicious scents from the kitchen were enough to make her forgive him any sin. Well, almost any sin.

She wished that she could reach over and kiss him.

"You know, if you keep making tasty treats, the others are going to be camped outside full time."

"I already took them a basket full," he smiled triumphantly. "So we'll be left in peace, for a while at least."

Rogue wished that there was something other than eating breakfast for them to do with that peace. She settled for snuggling into Remy's side, her head resting on his shoulder. He wore long sleeved T-shirts to bed now so as long as she was careful, it was relatively safe.

"Did you do your meditation yesterday?" Remy asked. To be fair, he hadn't been around for much of the day so he couldn't be certain.

"No."

"You should, you know, at least for few weeks. If you don't, the good work Ginny did will unravel."

"I know. It just seems weird to try and hypnotize myself."

"The more you do it, the more normal it will seem."

"I know. I'll do I after breakfast, I promise."

Remy twisted his head and kissed her hair.

"That's my girl."

* * *

As Rogue meditated (she found it easier to think of it that way than self hypnosis) she realised that she could control the voices in her mind. At the moment they were walled up behind barriers that the professor had put in place, but they didn't need to be, they just needed to feel at home.

She didn't know how she knew this, nor did she understand how she knew to create a mental landscape for them, but she did and once she was done with her meditation, she law back on the bed and set about creating a place in her mind for them to live.

It was almost like she had more than one mind, which she had never realised before. A bit like a painting that has been painted over, except that the canvas behind her own mind was still blank. She had never even realised that the canvas was there until now.

She set about creating a landscape, starting with the institute since a lot of her psyches knew the place.

_'Hey!'_ Kitty's psyche appeared beside Rogue, making her jump. _'Whacha doin'?'_

_'Making somewhere for y'all to live.'_

_'Really?'_ Kitty clapped her hands. _'Yay! Like, no offence, Rogue, but your mind isn't exactly an interesting place to be.'_

_'None taken,'_ Rogue said dryly.

_'Oh, it's the mansion, isn't it?' Kitty said as the scene before them began to appear._

_'Yep.'_

_'Can I decorate my own room?'_

Rogue thought about it. _'I don't see why not.'_

_'Yay! I'll go find the others.'_

Pretty soon all her psyches had converged and were helping her create their habitat. Some were building places that she knew, like the Brotherhood house, and others were making structures that she didn't recognise, but she didn't really mind. This was their home, not hers, but it was very odd to see the mansion, the brotherhood home and a house that she didn't recognise, sitting side by side each other.

She wasn't able to stay for as long as she liked but she gave the psyches carte blanche to finish in her absence. She'd check in later to see how they were getting on

As she opened her eyes, she realised that for the first time ever, her voices were completely quiet. Whatever space she had given them she couldn't hear them any more. A little disconcerted by that, she called on Kitty.

_'Kit, you there?'_

_'I'm here. What's up?'_

_'Nothin', I just couldn't hear you, that's all.'_

_'Yeah, we can't hear can't hear what you're up to any more either. Weird, huh?'_

_'So how are you here now?' _Rogue asked._  
_

_'Well, you called, so I came.'_

_'As simple as that?' _Rogue thought.

_'Looks like. Anyway, can I get back? I was decorating my room.'_

_'Sure. Bye.'_

A big smile spread over Rogue's face as she left the Winnebago; for the first time in years, it felt like she was the only one in her head, and it felt wonderful.

* * *

With nothing to do, Remy set about clearing the grounds of debris. In short order, skips and equipment were delivered and Remy divided the kids into groups. The students with strength or other useful powers, like Kurt, were assigned the mansion clearance where larger chunks of the rubble were. They were overseen by Colossus. Those without super strength or useful gifts took the grounds and driveway, loading the fragments into wheel barrows to be dumped into the skips.

Pretty soon he turned it into a competition, dividing the driveway and grounds team into two teams and having them race. The first team to fill ten wheel barrows would win $100 each to be spent at the mall that weekend.

By the time Storm discovered this, it was too late to put a stop to it but Storm raised her concern as they were taking a well earned break. She didn't want some of the kids feeling left out.

"They'll all win something," Remy said with confidence.

"You can't guarantee that."

"Course I can. This isn't about improving productivity, it's about these kids having lost most of their possessions, without making it seem like charity. One way or another, they'll all get to go on Saturday, even if I have to pay one or two of them to clean the motorhome, or wash and blow dry the blue elf's fur."

Thought it was wrong, Storm laughed at the image of the kids grooming Kurt like some kind of poodle.

"You know, the rate these kids are goin', I reckon we might have this site cleared by the weekend." Remy suddenly changed the subject. "Have you given any thoughts to rebuilding?"

"Just thoughts so far. First we have to find Jean and stop the Phoenix."

"You know, from what Rogue saw in Emma's head, that might not be so easy."

Storm turned to look at him. "We don't give up just because things aren't easy, Remy."

"I didn't say anything about giving up, but you should always prepare yourselves for the worst, even while hoping for the best."

"Is that the motto you live by?"

"I don't have a motto but in a pinch, I steal the boy scouts, 'Be prepared'." He smirked at her and she couldn't help but smile.

The next two days proceeded along much the same lines and by staging various competitions according to skills while they worked, Remy had managed to have every student win something.

"Told ya," he grinned at Storm as Kitty, who really hadn't stood a hope of winning a rubble clearing competition, finally won the 'best lemonade maker' competition. He didn't tell Storm that he had given Kitty his Tante's secret recipe.

Storm was actually impressed with his scheming. It was in a good cause, after all.

"I'd offer you and Hank some money," he said. "But you'd probably turn it down, _non_?"

"No offence, but yes. Besides, we do have some savings."

"What about Scott and Jean?"

"They're still college students, so no and besides, Jean isn't here."

"Last I heard, we were hoping for the best, no?" Remy raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Storm conceded the point with a nod.

"I'm happy to give them some money too but somehow I doubt Scott would take it from me."

Storm was silent for a moment as she considered her reply.

"You've already offered 100 dollars each to the kids, can you afford more?"

"Drop in the ocean," he said, as though it was nothing.

"Well, if you're sure, I can say it's the Institute's money."

"Merci, _cher_."

"What about Rogue?" Storm asked. She had lost everything too, and they hadn't arrived with much in the way of luggage, but he hadn't mentioned giving her any money.

"Don't worry about Rogue, she's all set." He smiled enigmatically.

Storm decided that she didn't want to know.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Saturday saw all the mansions inhabitants descend on the mall with 100 dollars each to buy new clothing and belongings. Remy knew it wasn't enough but if he gave them too much, they would waste it. Next weekend he intended to do something similar, but only for the kids who didn't have parents sending them money. Remy was generous but he wasn't a pushover.

Hank and Scott took the boys around, while Storm and Rogue supervised the girls. Remy tagged along with Rogue and found himself offering a number of opinions on women's clothing. Surprisingly, not only did he show good taste, he showed age appropriate taste, gently discouraging some of the younger kids from their more adult choices.

As far as the students were concerned though, the best thing about having Remy along was watching him foist outfit after outfit on Rogue, usually while she was half naked in the changing rooms and couldn't thump him for his impudence. She moaned a lot though, which made them giggle.

Most of the kids had experienced Rogue's temper for themselves and were wary of her, though in all honesty, she didn't seem to have anything like the temper she used to. At one time, Remy would have been black and blue for trying to tell Rogue what to try on. Eventually she even gave in and agreed to buy what he wanted her to buy, on the condition that's she could pick something out for him and he would promise to wear it.

Remy knew that she had something planned but he was happy to play along, even if it did mean he'd be walking round the mansion is some ridiculous sweater with wolves or clowns on it. Besides, he knew that she wasn't anywhere near as twisted as he was, so her revenge would be bearable.

As they headed into the underwear section, Storm finally told Remy to leave for at least half an hour. He did so, but the wicked glint in his eye made Rogue think that he had something else planned. Sure enough when they were finished, he was waiting for them outside the shop with two large Victoria's Secret bags.

Rogue narrowed her eyes and glared. Remy acted as though nothing was wrong and slung an arm around her shoulders, which she quickly shoved off. He replaced the arm, she shrugged it off. This was repeated until she finally gave in let him leave his arm there.

Both groups met back in the food court for lunch, then afterwards the kids were free to browse by themselves for an hour, as long as they were well behaved.

Rogue seemed to have thawed slightly, since the offending lingerie bags were now out of sight in the car and she, Remy, Hank and Storm took a walk trough the mall, window shopping and keeping an eye out for any 'mini mutant mischief' as Remy had called it.

They were looking in the window of a shoe store when Rogue went very still, turned even more pale than usual and then she began to shake, while her breathing became fast and shallow.

It took Remy a moment to figure out what had upset her, then he glimpsed the man behind the sales counter. He didn't look much like Weapon X's 'Dr Frankenstein', but from the side Remy could see that he was similar enough to upset Rogue. He wrapped his arms around Rogue from behind and turned her away from the store, whispering in her ear as he guided her over to the closest bench.

"It's not him _chère_, okay, you saw that for yourself. Just looks a little like him but you're safe now, I promise."

He sat her down, sat beside her and took her hands in his.

"But I'm back with the X-Men, this'll be the first place they'll look for me! Why didn't I think of that?"

"They are never going to hurt you again, Rogue, okay? I promise."

"How can you promise that? How do you know that's not him, sent here to spy on me?"

"Because it isn't him, and you know that. Now just breath deeply, okay, you've had a shock, that's all but you are safe, I promise."

Hank recognised the symptoms of a panic attack almost instantly but it took Storm a little longer to realise what was happening. Rather than crowd Rogue, they stood back and watched, ready to intervene if Remy couldn't handle it.

"They could be anywhere!" Rogue argued. "They could be watching us right now!"

"They aren't, Rogue, I swear."

"How do you know that? How can you be so sure?"

Remy pulled her into his arms, holding her forcefully as she tried to get free. He had hoped not to have to tell her this, but right now it seemed like the only way. His lips were right beside her ear and he spoke so softly that only she could hear him.

"They're dead, _chère_."

Rogue tried to pull away but he held on tightly and began rocking her, like a child.

"What?!"

"They're dead, they're all dead."

"But..."

Remy sighed, knowing that he'd have to tell her the whole truth now. She deserved to know that her nightmare was over but at the same time, he couldn't stand to think that she might reject him for his actions.

"Bella Donna didn't take our meeting too well, she and her Ripper friends tried to cross the border into Thieves' territory more than a few times after that. Finally I figured that I could kill two birds with one stone and give Bell another cause. I paid the Rippers to kill them. All of the senior doctors are dead and all the files and backups were incinerated. You have my word."

Though panicked, some instinct warned Rogue to keep her voice low.

"So paying her to kill people got her off our back?"

"Bella Donna would have killed you, Rogue. It was the doctors or you. There are only two things the Rippers love more than holding a grudge, and that's murder and money."

"But why would she have killed me?"

"Because we pissed her off and you aren't a thief. The tentative truce we have means that Rippers can't kill Thieves, and Thieves can't steal from Rippers. Bell is bad but she's not mad, she knew she'd have been exiled if she'd killed me."

Rogue was as stiff as a board as he held her and he began to regret telling her. How could she ever love him when he was little more than a killer? Getting her to love a thief was hard enough, but this was a step too far, even for Rogue.

"They weren't innocent, none of them, and they would have just kept on hurting mutants and hunting you. I couldn't allow that. I couldn't let anything happen to you. Please try to understand."

These were the same justifications that he told himself and he believed them, he just didn't expect her to.

"Say something, _chère_, please."

Rogue tried to pull away again and this time he let her. She looked into his eyes, tears shining in her own, then without warning, she threw herself at him. He tensed for an assault but instead she held him, squeezing tightly, almost to the point of pain.

"As an X-Man, I know you did the wrong thing, but I can't seem to care," she sobbed. "I can't conjure up one bit of sympathy for those people... all I feel is relief."

He could hear some of the kids walking past, commenting on them but he paid them no mind and simply held Rogue for as long as she wanted. When she finally felt in control of herself, she pulled away and touched his cheek with her gloved hand.

"You did the wrong thing, but for the right reasons," she whispered. "Thank you."

Remy gave a relieved sigh and placed his hand over hers.

Rogue could never condone what Remy had done, but equally she wasn't sorry. Those people were monsters and they would have continued to perpetuate monstrous acts on innocent mutants. Death was the only way to be sure they were stopped.

She knew that the other X-Men would say that they should have stood trial and been imprisoned, but Rogue knew that she would never feel safe if they were alive, even if they were behind bars.

She couldn't tell them what Remy had done, but she couldn't condemn him for it either.

"What do you say we go and take a look at that sales clerk?" Remy asked.

Though she still felt shaky, Rogue nodded, needing to see for herself that her eyes had deceived her.

"Are you all right?" Storm asked as they got up.

"Rogue just has a touch of PTSD," Remy explained. "But she'd dealing."

Storm nodded her understanding. "Perhaps you would prefer to wait for us in the car?"

"In a minute," Rogue said, sounding as strong as she could, which was still rather shaky. "I just need to see something first."

Up close, the sales clerk's resemblance to the doctor was minimal and she found herself relaxing further.

"Let's go wait in the car," she said, taking Remy's hand.

* * *

A panic attack is an odd thing. Even once you know that there is nothing to be frightened of, the adrenalin remains and takes quite a while for the body to dissipate it. The heart rate remains fast, the breathing shallow, the senses alert, and no amount of conscious effort can completely get rid of the reaction until the adrenalin has worn off. Then you are left feeling wrung out, even though nothing has actually happened.

Remy understood this from his time with Sarah, so he wasn't worried when Rogue asked to be alone once they got back to the mansion. He hoped that she would nap and when she awoke, would feel almost back to normal again.

Still, he stayed near to the Winebago, just in case she should have nightmares.

In general terms, Hank explained to the other students what had happened to Rogue and asked them all not to mention it, not to talk about her time with Weapon X and not to behave any differently around her.

Storm found Remy standing guard by the motorhome and told him. They were a nice bunch of kids, but Remy knew it would probably be a tall order for them. Kids were naturally curious, not to mentioned frightened of things they didn't understand. Many of them wouldn't be able to act normally around her, but he hoped that they would try.

"I didn't realise she was so affected." Storm told Remy.

"She's strong, but even she can be broken." He let out a long breath. "They came so close... Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't got there in time."

"But you did," Storm placed a hand on his arm.

"I just hate seeing her like that. This isn't who she wants to be."

"She will recover."

"I know, but she shouldn't have to."

Storm nodded her agreement. "Did... did she tell you what they did?"

"Some, the rest I got from her file."

"Can you tell us?"

"No." Remy shook his head. "If she wants to tell you, that's her business. I won't betray her confidence."

"I understand." Storm put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I suggested counselling but she wouldn't hear of it. I had hoped your professor would be able to help as she trusts him but..."

"The professor isn't gone, Remy, just trapped in his own mind. We will find a way to wake him up."

Remy nodded. It couldn't come soon enough for him. "All I want to do is take her pain away."

That was a feeling that everyone who cared about another was familiar with, though perhaps not to this degree.

"I know, but all you can do is be there for her. You handled the situation very well."

"It's not my first rodeo," he said darkly.

"Sarah?"

"Rogue told you about her?"

"A little. Would you like to tell me the rest?"

So Remy did. He sat down on the grass and Storm followed suit. He started with the frightened girl who had been stashed behind a dumpster by her mother to protect her, and where she cowered while her mother and friends were slaughtered. He finished with what she was like today; her resilience, her brilliant smile, her beautiful hair. Then he dug a picture out of his wallet for Storm to see. Sarah was resting on Remy's hip, smiling at the camera. Remy was looking at Sarah, his eyes filled with warmth and affection as he looked at her.

"She's beautiful," Storm said, handing the picture back.

Remy looked at the picture for a few moments. "Too beautiful for this world," he said softly, before slipping it back into his wallet.

"Now may not be the best time but once this craziness is over, she is very welcome here."

"She isn't too young?"

"The only reason we don't have younger students is because most powers manifest in adolescence. I think it would be good for her to be around other mutants, especially those like Hank and Kurt, with visible mutations."

"Thanks, but I can't send her away. We're a package deal now." He sounded sad at the idea, as though he was holding her back.

"You are very welcome here too."

Remy gave her a sidelong glance. "If you knew even a fraction of the stuff I've done, you wouldn't be saying that."

"I think I would. Few of us have a blemish free past, why even I was a pickpocket when I was younger, and Logan is far from squeaky clean. Here you have a clean slate, Remy, what you choose to do with it is up to you."

Remy sighed. "Do you know the main reason that I used Rogue to help me rescue my father? I was a little worried for him, I admit, I mean I don't like the man but I don't want him dead or anything, but the main reason was so that I could go back to New Orleans. I knew that he would have to lift my exile if I saved his life."

"Why?" Storm asked.

"My dad might be an asshole, but the rest of my family are okay. I missed them." He paused for a moment. "How ironic that while using Rogue to help my father, I started a course of events that means I don't even want to go back any more."

"You love Rogue." It wasn't a question.

"I do," he admitted. "Loved her ever since our first trip to New Orleans, I think. I managed to stay away for a while but now... I don't think I can leave her again. I don't want to leave her again."

"What about your family?"

"Most of 'em have their own families now. Besides, it's not like I'd never see them.

"Then where is the harm in following Rogue?"

"For me? None. For her...? I'm no good for a girl like her. My father an' I may not be blood related, but somehow I still picked up the asshole gene."

"I don't think you did. I think you've been searching for something, and I hope you might find what you've been missing here."

Remy smiled at her. "I hope so too, Stormy."

"Don't call me Stormy."

* * *

Rogue peeked out of the window and saw Remy sitting on the grass outside, seemingly keeping guard and making sure no one disturbed her. She liked that he was protective but at the same time it frightened her, though she wasn't quit sure why.

What she did know was that she had some big decisions coming up.

When they'd got back, Rogue had made her way to the bedroom but was unable to get to sleep. Instead she had done some of the exercises Ginny had given her. They really did help her voices so she knew it was working.

Today she seemed to have a breakthrough of a different nature and she finally knew how to control her power. She couldn't really explain it, but she understood. It was much like reaching for a pencil, one moment you wanted the pencil, the next you held it in your hand but explaining what happened in the brain between wanting it and the hand grasping the pencil was difficult. It was the same with her powers.

When a baby reaches for a pencil, or more likely a crayon, they miss a lot and it takes a few tries before they are able to grab it. The more often they grab it though, the easier it becomes, until finally they get it right every time. That was very much what Rogue's control was like. She had been able to turn her power off twice, but now she could feel that she just needed to keep trying, keep practising and eventually, even though she couldn't explain how it was turning it on and off, it would become a reflex action; want = get.

She had never believed that Ginny's hypnosis techniques could help her control her power, after all, the professor had been trying for years. He could help her control the voices though, so she believed that Ginny could help her with that. Total control though? Well that had been beyond her wildest dreams.

Now, not only were the voices being quiet (or mostly quiet) her dream was coming true. Her lament of a few days ago, when she wished that she could kiss Remy, could soon be a reality.

So why was she feeling so reticent?

Well, first there was the fact that she had been hiding the extent of her control from everyone. Weapon X hadn't taught her to turn her gift off, but they had taught her how to recall previously absorbed powers.

Pain is a powerful motivator.

She had hidden the extent of her control from then though, knowing that things would only get worse for her if they realised the truth. She endured the pain and on the few occasions when she did recall a power, she made it seem erratic and uncontrollable. The truth was, it took a lot out of her and if she used an old power for too long, she passed out. That didn't apply to Carol's powers, they seemed to be a part of her now, but it was true for all the other powers she had absorbed.

She felt a little bad about not telling Remy or the X-men about this new development, but if word ever got out that she had control, she would only be painting a bigger target on her back. As much as the loved and trusted her friends, she just didn't feel that she could take that risk.

Controlling her absorption however, didn't seem like a very risky thing to reveal. Who would care that she could turn it on and off? The bad guys were happy with it being on full time, so they might even view her control as a negative. Her friends would be ecstatic because they only wanted the best for her. Remy would be over the moon at the thought of being able to touch her, and it was that thought which gave her pause.

She knew he cared about her, she knew he was interested in her, and not just as a friend, but once he had completed the challenge, would he move on?

And speaking of 'the challenge', was she ready for 'that'? She knew sex wasn't the big deal many people make it out to be; she had never intended to stay a virgin until her wedding night or anything, but now that it was within her power to go through with it, she didn't feel ready. She knew that Jean and Scott were sleeping together, and she highly suspected that Kitty had slept with Lance before they broke up, so she she wasn't worried about being judged.

Well, except maybe by Logan, who might try and trap her in a tower until she was an old maid, and then she would have to grow her hair to let her white night climb up it and rescue her, but she was still hopeful that he could be reasonable about this.

No, the more she thought about it, the more she realised that her main fear was Remy; she just couldn't risk giving herself to him completely. These last few weeks had been like a dream, just them against the world. They had lived in their own private bubble, but now the bubble had burst and reality was intruding.

She remembered telling Logan that she needed Remy and that still felt true to an extent, but needing anyone was weakness.

What happened if she was just a challenge to him and he left her? What if he turned out to be Mystique (wouldn't be the first time)? Or if he simply fell out of love (or lust) with her? And even supposing that he was every inch the good man that she believed him to be, he didn't have to dump her to leave her. Being a thief was a risky business and even if he quit and joined the X-Men, that had just as many risks attached. And what if Weapon X regrouped and came after her again? She had barely endured that hell once, but to endure it again and without Remy? She wast sure she could. Not only that but every moment in captivity would only remind her of him, since he had rescued her from at hell once.

She already felt more for him than she was comfortable with and if she fell any deeper for him, she wasn't sure that she would be able to survive of she lost him. Keeping this new understanding of her powers to herself was just common sense really, protecting herself. She was allowed to protect herself.

Besides, it wasn't lying. Withholding the truth was not the same as lying. Like when you're under oath in court, you can plead the 5th Amendment without any problem but if you lie, that's perjury and a criminal offence.

Just to be sure that she wasn't being a total tool, she called on Logan and Carol's psyches. Logan because he was often a voice of reason and Carol because out of all the voices in her head, Carol was the most complete persona, and just a nice woman.

_'You're not wrong, Rogue, just being smart.'_ That was Logan.

_'But Logan, your opinion of Remy is based on his reputation, and we all know that reputations can be undeserved.' _See, Carol was always nice.

Logan growled._ 'Like you've ever met Gumbo!'_

_'I've seen everything he's done for Rogue though, and you can't deny that he's been good to her.'_

_'He's working an angle,'_ Logan assured her.

_'Perhaps his gesture of risking his life to save her doesn't mean much to you and I, who are pretty much immortal, but it means something to regular people!'_

Rogue rubbed her temples. _'Okay, I think that's enough from both of you.'_ she thought, sending them back to their boxes before a real fight could begin. She hated it when her voices argued.

_'If he really cares, he won't mind you taking your time!' _was Logan's parting shot, and Rogue decided that he was right; if Remy really cared about her, he wouldn't mind the deception. Remy wasn't the most trusting of people anyway, so he should understand why she kept it hidden.

She could hear Carol trying to say something but she pushed her away even more firmly. Right now a voice of reason, especially one that didn't agree with her, wasn't what she wanted.

She turned away from the window and sat back down on the bed to continue her self hypnosis. Just because she wouldn't tell anyone that she had control, didn't mean that she shouldn't try and get control.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: So here's the deal, I'm going to be busy for the next 2 days and probably the weekend too (lots of birthdays coming up) so I tried my hardest to get this proofed 'cos a handful of you seem to like it so much and I didn't want to leave you hanging. Thank you all so much for your reviews.

Just one question today.

_What did she get him for payback though?_ Well Rogue was a little too distracted to buy an embarrassing sweater that day at the mall, but don't worry, she hasn't forgotten her revenge.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

Three days later, the roar of a motorcycle engine drew everyone's attention and they rushed topside to see who it was. No one was really surprised to see Logan, but they were surprised to see the blond sitting behind him.

"Wow, he actually got Emma," Remy said, putting a possessive arm around Rogue's shoulders. He wanted Logan to know that he had no intention of leaving Rogue alone, no matter how much the feral man threatened him.

Logan looked over at them as he got off the bike but quickly looked away, scowling. As they dismounted the bike, it soon became apparent that Emma was actually handcuffed to Logan, and Remy had to smile. He didn't much care for Logan's methods when they were directed at him, but he could appreciate his brute force in other situations.

Emma glared at everyone as Logan dragged her closer to the others.

"One telepath," he said to Storm. "How's cerebro coming?"

"We finished yesterday."

Logan grunted an acknowledgement. "I'll lock her in the store room until she's ready to cooperate."

Storm looked hesitant but didn't stop him. Hank stepped up beside her.

"Do you think this is wise?" he asked.

Remy and Rogue had also made their way over.

"She may not look like she wants to help, but she could have disabled Logan with a psychic blast if she wanted to. Part of her wants to be here." Remy explained.

"He's right," Rogue added. "When I absorbed her, I could see that she felt guilty about what the club were doing, that's why she left. I think she's willing to help but her pride is stopping her."

Hank nodded thoughtfully while Storm frowned. She felt out of her depth making these decisions but if Rogue and Remy agreed that she would help, then she had to listen to them. She missed the professor though, his reason, logic and compassion always made reaching a decision much easier. She also knew that he wouldn't be happy that Emma Frost had essentially been kidnapped but then he wasn't here, and desperate times call for desperate measures.

* * *

They let Emma stew for a few hours then after dinner, Remy took her a plate of food. Logan wanted to be the one to do it but Remy argued that as her ex (they didn't need to know it was only a two night stand) and a not-so-good guy himself, he had the best chance of getting through to Emma.

Rogue hated the idea of him spending time with Emma, but she also knew that he was right and probably did stand the best chance of securing Emma's help, so she kept quiet. She was vaguely aware that at one time, she would have either yelled or sulked but now, but while she most definitely was upset, she kept her composure, outwardly at least.

Remy loaded up a plate and Rogue expected him to just leave but as he passed behind her, he stopped and dropped a kiss on her hair. His way of telling her that she had nothing to worry about. Which she knew. Unfortunately logic had little to do with her feelings and she still worried. Even if she didn't know that they had slept together, surely anyone would worry about their boyfriends meeting a beautiful woman, who dressed like a hooker, in a locked closet, wouldn't they?

Instead she busied herself supervising the clean up. It didn't need supervision since the kids were used to following the chore rota, but Rogue couldn't stop herself interfering and issuing instructions.

Down the hallway, Remy nodded to Logan, who insisted on standing watch outside the room while Remy went in. Logan unlocked the door and Remy stepped inside. There were no comforts here because it was meant to house cleaning supplies, not people, nevertheless, Emma had turned a bucket upside down to act as a chair and looked quite at home here.

"Brought you some dinner," Remy said handing her a plate.

Emma accepted it without comment. Remy turned another mop bucket over and sat opposite her.

"What are you even doing here?" Emma asked with disdain.

"The friend I introduced you to is an X-Man."

Emma raised a haughty eyebrow. "You must have it bad."

"Somethin' like that," Remy chuckled. "But that don't matter right now."

"So you're here to play good cop?"

"You know me, _chère_, I don't play games. I'm here to tell you how it is." He gave her a moment to process his words before continuing. "I know you ain't a coward, Emma, and I know you ain't as bad ass as you like to make out. These people are hurting because of something you and your friends did. Why not make it right and try to help them?"

"I can't help. No one can help." She enunciated each word as though she were talking to a simpleton. "The Phoenix cannot be controlled or contained. It is as old as humanity itself, maybe older, and it is far more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

"If that's true, how come you were helping the Hellfire Club? No offence, _chère_, but the thing you do best is look after number one."

"I saw inside Jean's head," Emma admitted "We thought it was prudent to look into her mind before the attack, so that we had a clear picture if what we were dealing with. As the strongest psychic I was chosen for the task as too many of us trying to enter her head would be noticed. That's how I know everything about the Phoenix, because it showed me, and that's why I left the club."

"Emma, the X-Men aren't going to ask you to defeat the Phoenix, just help find it, and maybe help the professor if you can."

"Professor Xavier?"

"That's him. The Phoenix did something to him and he's in a coma."

Emma was silent for a moment, contemplating her options.

"I will look in the professors head and see what happened to him, but I make no promises about being able to wake him up."

"Fair enough. And tracking Jean?"

"You're on your own," she declared. "But maybe if I can wake the Professor up, you won't need me."

Remy nodded slowly. At least it was something.

"I'll tell Logan, see if we can't do something about getting you a real bed for the night."

"That would be appreciated."

Remy stopped at the door and turned back. "I wouldn't think about escaping if I were you. Logan is a very light sleeper and he can smell deceit on people." He wasn't quite sure if that was true but it seemed like it could be. "Trust me when I say you don't want to be on his bad side."

"Like you are by dating his favourite student?"

Remy flashed her a rakish smile. "You know me, _chère_, I always did like to live dangerously." He knocked twice on the door and Logan opened it. "Emma is going to see if she can help the professor. Can we find her accommodations for the night?"

"What about Jean?"

"One thing as a time. Besides if she can wake up Xavier, you won't need her any more."

Logan grunted and looked into the small room at Emma, who was delicately eating her food as best she could with her fingers.

"Don't go anywhere," Logan told her before slamming and locking the door on her. "Come on, Gumbo, let's see who wants to share a room with the white bitch."

They headed down the hallway.

"Senior X-Men to the war room!" Logan yelled as they walked.

Remy couldn't help but wonder if the Wolverine did everything in such a loud and boorish manner. If so, it was no wonder that he was still single.

When the X-Men had filed in and taken their seats, Remy explained what he had got Emma to agree to.

"We don't have a telepath any more, so how do we know she's telling the truth?" Logan asked when Remy had finished. "How do we know she's not going to kill the professor or something?"

"What would she gain from that?" Storm asked.

"Maybe she is liking to cause trouble?" Colossus suggested.

"Can't you smell if she's up to something? Kurt asked Logan.

"She's smelled shifty ever since I picked her up. I can't tell if that's her normal scent, or if she's always up to something."

"But she has to know that if she tries anything, Logan will gut her like a fish, right?" Kitty asked.

"I can find out what she's thinking," Rogue finally added. "Even if she has mental shields in place, they won't stop me. Of course, if I hold on long enough to make sure she's not a threat, she'll likely be out for a few hours at least."

"You could absorb her now, then she can sleep it off," Logan suggested.

"Unless she comes up with her plan overnight," Rogue added.

"I think we should trust her," Hank finally added. "Kitty and Storm are both right, and I will be monitoring Charles' vital signs throughout the whole procedure. I believe I will know if she tries anything untoward."

Everyone agreed with Hank, except Remy who, while he agreed, felt that it wasn't his place to vote.

"All right, so who wants to bunk with her tonight?" Logan asked.

After some debate, it was decided that Emma should room with Storm and that her current room mate, Rahne, should bunk with Kitty overnight.

"Great," Logan said without a hint of enthusiasm. "Meet back here at 10 tomorrow morning and we'll begin."

With that decided, the meeting broke up and everyone headed their separate ways. Rogue and Remy returned to the Winebago to find Bobby, Jamie and Ray in there. While half of the gym had been turned into a rec room of sorts, there wasn't exactly much to do there, and breaking in to play Remy's games or watch his TV seemed to have become a pastime in the mansion.

So far, Remy hadn't minded the intrusions but tonight he just wanted some time alone with Rogue. With everything that was going on, not to mention there being kids everywhere, they hadn't had much time together and though she acted normally, Remy had the feeling that Rogue was distancing herself from him. He put it down to new relationship nerves (even though he hadn't encountered any such thing before) and tried not to be too bothered by it. Besides, he could be imagining it, it wasn't like she was actively avoiding him or anything, she just seemed to be spending an awful lot of time wit her friends lately. Then again, she hadn't seen then in 4 months, so maybe it was normal.

It could also be stress. It had to be quite a change for her to be back among her friends and then her closest friend, Logan, had gone postal over Remy. She deserved some space, so Remy tried not to crowd her too much.

However, he wasn't used to being surrounded by people all the time and he needed some time, just him (and Rogue) to just unwind. Not to mention that he'd been on guard ever since Logan had returned.

"Give us some space," he ordered, and for once the kids shuffled out without argument. "So, _chère_, how about we crack a bottle of wine and put on a movie?"

Rogue nodded and after picking a movie, they settled down on the couch, side by side. Remy wasn't having that though, and ducked down under her arm, placing his head on her chest. Rogue didn't argue and pulled her glove off with her teeth to begin running her fingers through his hair. It had grown out quite a bit since his days with Magneto and it was so thick and luxurious that she found it difficult to resist. Plus, it was the only part of him that she could touch without gloves.

She heard him sigh contentedly and smiled. For all his ill gotten wealth, Remy really was an easy man to please. He liked the extravagant things in life, like expensive wine and god-only-knew-how-much Winnebagos, but his enjoyment of these things was never as big as when Rogue and Sarah gave him a hug, or when he spent time his brother and Mercy, or when he was cooking. She was coming to understand that money was simply a tool to Remy that made his life easier, and he had no particular love for money or possessions. If he had cared about possessions, there was no way he'd let the kids climb all over the motorhome!

She was surprised by how well he'd gotten along with the kids but then as she was discovering, he was basically a big kid himself at heart. He could be responsible though, and indeed while he worked for Magneto she'd seen very little of this playful side of him. If she needed any more proof of his maturity, his well planned and executed rescue of her was enough.

While their personalities weren't alike, they really did have a lot in common, which helped cement the bond between them. And anyway, she wasn't entirely sure that them being different was a bad thing. Someone with her temper needed someone laid back or there would be fights every day. Plus he could calm her down like few others could, and he could even help with her panic attacks.

He deserved someone who appreciated all his finer qualities, like Rogue could. She doubted that Emma was even aware that there was another, deeper side to him than the charming thief-cum-playboy. She didn't deserve him. Most of the women he had been with probably didn't deserve him.

_'You're lying to him, you don't deserve him either!'_ she thought, which was true. Here she was singing his praises to herself, when all the time she was keeping part of herself separate for him.

It was the smart thing to do. It was the shrewd thing to do. It was also the cruel thing to do. It wasn't fair to him to be with him without properly being with him. Touch aside, not completely opening her heart to him was unfair, because she was sure that he wasn't keeping any part of himself from her. She didn't deserve him, but she also couldn't leave him. She loved him, yet she was terrified of what loving him could mean. She just wasn't used to trusting people and it was only necessity that had caused her to trust Remy. But he could still turn on her.

She never expected the X-Men to let her down either, but even they hadn't been able to rescue her from Weapon X. Three months she had been there. Three months of fear and terror, feeling abandoned, forsaken and utterly desolate.

They had assured her that they had tried to find her, that they had done everything they could, but she wanted to scream at them that 'It wasn't enough! You should have tried harder!'

She knew she was being unfair, but that was how she felt and that was why she cut any conversation about her disappearance short, because if she heard too many more excuses, she would scream and yell enough to put even her worst temper tantrums to shame.

She also had to wonder if they would have continued looking for her after what happened with Jean. Kitty had let it slip that since the mansion blew up, they hadn't been looking for Rogue. Cerebro was broken and to be fair, they did have a giant flame-bird to deal with, but why did Jean have to take precedence over her every single time? She was findable, Remy had found her which was proof enough, but the almighty X-Men couldn't!

What did it say about the good guys, that it took her terrorist mother and a mercenary thief to find her?

In her calmer moments, she knew it said that no one was infallible, good guys or bad guys, but most of the time she was too resentful to think clearly. And now here she was, trying to distance herself from the man who had allowed himself to be captured and risked death to save her.

"I must be crazy," she said softly.

"Absolutely certifiable," Remy answered, burrowing deeper into her chest. "But it's one of the things I love about you."

Rogue froze. He had said the L word.

"Don't stop," Remy protested at her stilled hand, nudging her with his head to continue playing with his hair. She resumed but she wasn't taking the same pleasure in it that she had before.

The L word.

Of course he hadn't said 'I love you' exactly. In fact it was a rather informal use of the word and she was pretty sure that there were at least five things a day that pleased Kitty so much that she had to declare, 'Oh my God, I just love... insert actor/movie/song/clothing/nail polish etc as applicable'.

Yes, that was what Remy meant. He didn't mean that he was in love with her, he just liked her a lot and had used a colloquialism. He didn't really love her, certainly not in the 'kindred spirits', 'the one', 'soul mates' kind of way.

Suddenly thirsty, she downed the rest of her wine in one go.

"You want some more wine?" she asked, knowing that Remy hadn't taken a sip since he'd cuddled into her.

Reluctantly he sat up. "I'll get it." He took her glass and went to the fridge.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" she teased.

"Am I that obvious?" he played along.

"You are not as suave as you think you are, Mr LeBeau."

"Is that so?" He gave her the big puppy-dog eyes as he handed her glass back.

Rogue held out for as long as she could, but her defeat was inevitable. How could she hold out against those beautiful eyes? How could anyone?

"All right, fine! You are every inch the charming, handsome, gorgeous Cajun that you believe yourself to be."

Remy grinned, threw himself back down onto the sofa and plopped his head into her lap. Satisfied that Remy wasn't about to declare his undying love, Rogue absently played with his hair again.

* * *

Rogue was up earlier than Remy the next day, which was unheard of. The problem was that she was falling for him and that scared her. She had tossed and turned all night, feeling frightened of how much she liked him, then guilt at the fact that she was hiding her control from him.

She quickly dressed then headed into the basement to help get breakfast ready. Remy had pretty much taken over dinner, but someone else had to do lunch and breakfast. Today wasn't her day but she had a lot of nervous energy to kill. Remy wasn't long in joining her and he looked tense when he came in, though he visibly relaxed upon seeing her.

"Rough night?" he asked.

"Yeah," she shrugged, no big deal.

"Nightmares?"

Rogue nodded unwilling to directly lie to him.

The kids didn't expect her to be there so early, so when Bobby ran into the kitchen, wearing Rogue's black satin bra over his P.J.s, he stopped stone dead.

Before Weapon X had kidnapped her, Rogue knew that she had been getting a handle on her temper, but she still had a mean temper, just better control over when she let it out. Since her rescue, she also knew that on the whole she had been acting very passive. She hated it but it was like passivity had been schooled into her and she couldn't help it. These days, her first reaction was usually fear or sadness rather than anger.

Rogue looked at Bobby in her bra and realised it meant both that he had been through her underwear, and that he had betrayed Remy and her trust in allowing the kids to use the Winnebago. Her privacy had been invaded without permission. This was usually enough to anger anyone and especially a loner like Rogue. Now though, she had been without privacy for so long, she protected it even more fiercely than she could have believed. She felt violated.

Her anger bubbled over into white hot rage.

"Bobby!"

Bobby ran while his friends stayed frozen in place.

"You get your skinny little ass back here right this instant, boy! I am gonna make you wish that you were never born!"

Remy smiled as she ran out after him. He too had noticed Rogue's change in temperament and even though in the future it might be directed at him fairly frequently, he was pleased to see her temper back.

"_Bobby, when I get my hands on you, I'm going to see if it's true about there being more than one way to skin a brat!"_

Remy laughed as her words clearly carried throughout the complex. She got the insult wrong, but he had a feeling she meant to.

"What's going on?" Hank asked as he came in.

"_Stand still and take your ass kicking like a man, Bobby!"_

"Bobby stole Rogue's bra and was wearing it this morning."

"Ah." The man helped himself to the coffee that Rogue had brewed and sat down at the table.

"_If you don't stop running, I'm gonna make castanets out of your testicles!"_

Hank coughed while Remy chuckled. He poured his own coffee and sat down at the table just in time to see the other two boys try to slink off.

"Not so fast!" Remy called, causing them to freeze much like Bobby had. "Now, who went through Rogue's underwear draw?"

The boys looked at each other then to Remy.

"Bobby," Jamie and Ray said in unison.

"Duh, I mean who else?"

The boys looked at each other.

"Look, boys, you can be honest with me now, or you can face Logan in the danger room every day until you retire. You know how much he cares about Rogue. Your choice."

"We were both with him," Jamie admitted.

"Okay, come sit down." Remy gestured to two seats opposite him.

"_I am gonna give you nightmares for the rest of your pathetically short life!" _

"I know you boys can't imagine what Rogue went through and it's not my place to tell you, so I'm just gonnna ask you to close your eyes and imagine some things."

The boys looked at each other for a moment, then closed their eyes as he said.

"Now, imagine that you own nothing, not even underwear. Everything you own has been taken from you. You live in a glass cell, surrounded by people who can see everything you do, even peeing. When you take a shower, someone is always there to watch you. You are never alone. Then, at anyone's whim, you can be stripped naked while strangers poke and prod you in the name of science, cause you pain beyond your wildest imagination and all this time, they look at you, your most intimate places, like you are just a science project."

The boys gulped.

"Open your eyes," Remy commanded and they did. "Now, imagine you finally get out of that hell, you struggle to feel like a human being again... and you then find out that someone you trusted has invaded your privacy."

Both boys cheeks turned red with shame.

"_Logan, if you don't let me go right this minute, I'm gonna see for myself just how hard it is to kill you!"_

"We're sorry," Jamie said.

"Yeah, won't happen again." Ray added.

"No it won't, because you three are banned from my home."

"But you have the only games in this place!"

"And there isn't even a decent TV in this dump!"

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you went into my bedroom. Don't think I believe you were only rummaging through Rogue's things. Now get out of here before I remember how much you just hurt my Rogue."

The boys scrambled out of the kitchen as quickly as they could.

Hank raised his eyebrows as he looked at Remy. "I must say, I think you handled that remarkable well," he praised.

"I was a boy once too. Besides, I have a feeling they learned their lesson from Rogue's reaction."

"Quite." Hank smiled. "I didn't think there would ever be a day when I would enjoy Rogue's temper but I must say, it's good to have her back."

Remy smiled and cocked his head to the side. "I guess Logan has calmed her down."

"One can only hope. If not, poor Mr Drake may be a shadow of his former self."

Remy laughed.

A few minutes later, Logan ushered Rogue back into the kitchen. She looked mutinous.

"You okay, _chère_?"

"I would be if Logan hadn't intervened!"

"And I know that tomorrow, you would regret killing the Icecube. I'm doing this for your own good, kid."

"Don't worry Rogue, Bobby and his friends are banned from the Winnebago and today I'm gonna be putting a lock on the bedroom door.

"Bobby also earned himself two weeks of early morning training sessions," Logan added.

Rogue rolled her eyes and sat down at the table, beside Remy for a change. He couldn't help but notice that she often sat apart from him at mealtimes. Maybe it was her temper that caused the change today, or maybe she was afraid what Logan might try and do to him but either way, he was glad that she was back at his side.

"Are things always this exciting around here?" Emma asked as she strolled into the kitchen.

"You should see bingo night," Logan deadpanned.

* * *

After breakfast, Emma, Hank, Logan and Rogue went to the professors room, leaving Remy, Piotr and Storm to watch the kids.

Thinking that now would be a good time to get to know her friends a little better, Remy invited Kurt and Kitty to go with him to the hardware store with him. Both were anxious about their beloved professor, so both readily agreed, happy to have a distraction.

It wasn't actually that easy to fit a lock to a thin, sliding door, so Remy had to buy extra wood to make the doors a decent width before they could hollow it out for the clawbolt deadlock.

Rogue had spent a lot of time with Kurt and Kitty since she got back but she never wanted Remy to accompany her, so things were kind of awkward as they drove into town.

"So, you two just graduated high school right?" Remy asked, trying to break the ice.

"No," Kurt hung his head. "Thanks to everything that's been going on, we missed some of our final exams."

"We have to go back next year," Kitty added. "We don't have that many credits still to get, but I guess there's no way out of it."

"Maybe your professor will have an idea," Remy tried to cheer them up.

"Maybe," Kurt didn't sound like he believed it.

They lapsed into silence again.

"So, Kitty, you and Piotr seem friendly," Remy observed, earning himself a blush from the girl.

"Yeah, he's really nice."

"He's a good man," Remy said. "You could do a lot worse than him."

Once again silence reigned, until Kurt plucked up the courage to speak.

"Gambit, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure thing, blue."

"Why did you rescue my sister?"

"Because I owed her one and... and I just couldn't stand the thought of her with those monsters." It was as truthful as he was prepared to be.

"And why are you still here?"

Remy hesitated for a moment but finally decided that if he was to win her friends over, he had to be honest with them. "Because I love her."

"Does she love you too?" Kitty asked, leaning forward from her seat in the back and sounding rather excited.

"I don't know, petite. Truth be told, I don't even think she knows."

"What did she say when you told her?"

"I haven't told her." Remy turned to glance at Kitty. "She's been through a lot and I don't want to add to her burdens. Besides..." he really didn't want to admit this but in for a but in for a penny, in for a pound! "I think she's pulling away from me. If I tell her how I feel now, I think I'll lose her."

If he hadn't been so honest with them, Kurt probably wouldn't have admitted this to him, but he did.

"I think she loves you, Gambit, and I think she's scared of that love. I'm sure if you give her time, she will learn to accept how she feels."

"I sure hope so."

Throughout the rest of the day, Remy discovered that he and Kurt had a few things in common. Both had been abandoned as kids, both had grown up with a visible mutation, and both shared a love of pranks. He avoided most talk of the first two as they were probably difficult subjects for him, but while Remy didn't get to pull many pranks any more, but he had lots of stories to tell.

He and Kitty also shared a love of fashion and although his interest was nothing compared to hers, they could still converse about it for a while. He and Kurt also had a few favourite bands in common, while he and Kitty both liked The Mutant Boys, who were the new 'in' band for rebellious teens but they had promise, musically speaking

By mid-afternoon the lock was in place and Remy had made himself two new friends. They would probably never be bosom buddies, but they could stand to be in each others company, which was what really mattered.

"Thank you both for your help today," Remy asked as they cleaned up. "You won't tell Rogue about how I feel, will you?"

"I will not interfere in your relationship," Kurt said. "Rogue cares a lot for you and, unless you hurt her, that is all I need to know."

"My lips are like, totally sealed," Kitty grinned.

"Thank you. And _petite_?"

"Yeah?"

"Piotr likes art. Maybe you could suggest a visit to one of the museums around here."

"Thanks!" Kitty grinned. "That's a great idea. And in return, I give you my word that I will not phase anyone through this door." She threw a pointed look at Kurt.

"I wouldn't teleport anyone in here!" he sounded offended.

"Never thought you would, either of you," Remy assured them, though of course it had occurred to him that they were now probably the only two mutants here that could get in. "I know you both care too much about Rogue to do anything like that."

"Plus, Rogue can be like, really scary," Kitty grinned at him. "I used to be her room mate so believe me, I know exactly how much she likes her privacy."


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for the wait, hope this makes up for it!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

Back in the mansion things with the professor were going slowly. Rogue had stepped out a few times to give updates, so the other inhabitance were able to tell Remy, Kitty and Kurt what was happening.

"He's trapped within a bad memory," Storm explained. "Emma is trying to reach him but the Professor has placed strong shields in his mind."

"'Cos he's scared?" Kitty asked.

"Exactly. It is breaking through these shields that is taking Emma the time."

Remy checked his watch, it had been about six hours since they started and all the kids, not to mention the adults, looked stressed and subdued.

"Who's up for a game of mutant ball?" Remy asked.

No one exactly bit his hand off.

"I am thinking this is a good idea," Piotr said. "We will play and work off some energy. Perhaps by the time we are finished, there will be news on the professor."

Between them they urged the kids topside and into a game. The kids were a little reluctant at first but within minutes of playing, had got into he spirit. Storm, Piotr and Remy only watched for safety reasons, declaring it no rules, except anyone who seriously injured a team mate was out.

"Storm was telling me that you have a daughter," Piotr said to Remy. "I am knowing this is not true though."

"Well, I do look after a little girl now, but I'm not her papa." He fished the picture out of his wallet and handed it to his friend. "Even before Rogue, I was considering coming up here with her, seeing if the professor might take us in."

"I think he will be happy to 'take you in'," Colossus smiled. "You and your not-daughter."

"I ain't so sure about that," Remy turned away.

"He was very kind to me, I am sure he would be to you too."

"You're different," Remy said. "You were always one of the good guys at heart."

"I am thinking you were too, my friend. It was you who stole the location of my family for me."

"Yeah, well I guess you're just too nice a guy to say no to," he smiled. Of all the Acolytes, Colossus was the only one Remy had struck up any real kind of friendship with.

"I did not get a chance to thank you," Colossus continued, "I had hoped that when Apocalypse showed, you would come and help, then I could thank you."

"Yeah." Remy let out a long breath. "Sorry about that, I was... indisposed."

"You do not wish to talk about it?"

"It's not exactly one of my favourite memories," Remy confessed.

"Then I will not ask again."

"How about you, how are you finding life as an X-Man?"

"I was enjoying it very much, until this Phoenix. She is very powerful, Remy, and I am afraid that we will not all survive the coming battle."

Remy hadn't seen this Phoenix in action yet but very little scared his big, Russian friend, so Remy believed him.

"I think I'm going to see if there's an update on the professor." Really Remy just wanted to end the conversation because of what it could mean to his Rogue. What if this Phoenix hurt her, or worse?

Piotr handed him the picture back and Remy slipped it into his wallet then headed for the hatch to the basement.

Remy knew that there was a very good reason why he had spent most of his life bed hoping rather than real relationships with women but for a while after meeting Rogue, he had been unable to remember quite why that was so smart.

Now he remembered. The horrible knot if fear that had been dwelling his his stomach for days had just grown, and he was certain that it would continue growing until the Phoenix was defeated and Rogue was safe. But then as an X-Man, would she ever be safe?

It was far too late for this revelation though, he had already fallen for her and even just the thought of leaving her hurt. It was like his body physically rebelled at the idea and he could no more turn his back on her and return to his playboy lifestyle, than he could cut his own arm off. He would just have to do everything in his power to ensure that she wasn't hurt, though he had a feeling that might be easier said than done.

* * *

In the end it took fourteen straight hours for Emma to reach the professor and pull him out of the nightmare he was constantly reliving. Unfortunately, he still didn't wake up.

Hank ran scans and confirmed that the professor was just unconscious, not in a coma any longer. He theorised that the professor was mentally exhausted and would wake up once he was rested.

Another new development that evening was that Kitty seemed to take a lot more interest in Rogue and Remy's relationship. She hadn't dared to question her friend before but now that she had got to know Remy a little, she seemed to feel that she had cart blanche to ask whatever she liked. At least she did so while they were alone in Kitty's bedroom and not in public.

"So, have you and Remy...?"

"What?" Rogue frowned at her friend, confused.

"You know, had..." she apparently could say the word so she mouthed the letters S E and X.

"What! No! Kitty! My mutation, remember?"

"Well yeah," Kitty looked crestfallen. "But there must be stuff you can do."

"Kitty."

"I mean as long as one of you is clothed and gloved, then there's lots of stuff you can do."

"Kitty!"

"And maybe you can get one of those black PVC suits to have-" again she mouthed the word SEX.

"Kitty, I am not dressing myself or my boyfriend up in PVC just so that I can have sex. Besides, the point of sex is to get closer, to share something, right? What's the point in doing that if we can't touch? Where's the intimacy?"

"Well have you at least kissed?"

"I don't think even a PVC sex outfit would help with that."

"So, is that why you don't hang around with him much any more?"

"What?"

"Remy, it's like you're avoiding him."

"I am not!"

"Sure, that's why you're in here with me, after spending the whole day locked in with the professor."

"I've spent the last few weeks only with Remy, is it so wrong to want to spend time with my friends now that I know you're not dead?"

"Yeah but-"

"NO! Kitty, drop it, okay. I do not want to talk about this."

"Okay, okay." Kitty must have realised that Rogue had reached her limit and backed off. "So, what was New Orleans like?"

That was a fairly safe topic, so Rogue answered. Thankfully Kitty left things alone after that. Well, for now.

* * *

The next day, conscious of Kitty's observation that she was avoiding Remy, Rogue arranged to have lunch with him in the Winebago. Well, actually on the lawn outside since it was a nice day, and it was nice and public so that people could see them spending time together. Rogue made sandwiches and lemonade and Remy spread a blanket on the grass for them, like they were having a picnic.

They were actually having a nice time, both avoiding dangerous topics, until Kitty and Kurt came back from town. After parking the car (rather haphazardly) Kitty bounded over to them, Kurt trailing reluctantly in her wake.

"Hey!" she cried, inviting herself to sit down on the blanket with them. "What are you up to?"

"Having lunch," Remy said with an amused smile.

"Kitty," Kurt said as a warning when he got close.

"Oh hush, Kurt." She began rummaging in one of the bags she had with her. "I was thinking about your little problem," she said.

"What problem?" Rogue asked hesitantly, afraid of the answer.

"How you guys can't kiss, and I came up with this." She brandished a tube of chapstick.

"Yeah, that's really safe," Rogue said deadpan.

Kitty obviously heard the disapproval and dug in a different bag. "Okay, then how about this!" She brandished a pair of satin gloves. The boys, who had been playing touch football, took notice and edged closer to watch.

Remy caught the glower on his girlfriends face and decided to intervene.

"Kitty, Rogue and I were hoping for some time alone. Would you mind, _petite_?"

"Oh but-"

"Alone!" Rogue repeated.

Kitty looked crestfallen but allowed Kurt to drag her away. When they were out of earshot, Rogue sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"You okay, _chère_?" Remy asked.

"Fine, just... I don't know."

"Try to forget it," Remy suggested, taking hold of one of her gloves hands. "She means well."

"I know but... Eugh! I am so not okay with being the subject of mansion gossip."

"I'm sorry." His thumb gently rubbed the back of her hand but the mood was broken and they ate the rest of their lunch in silence.

* * *

Suddenly, at mostly inopportune moments, Kitty began brandishing a selection of very inappropriate gifts.

The silk scarves were one of the better ones, "It's so thinn, you can kiss through it!". It also turned out that Kitty had bought six silk scarves in different colours and patterns, which she presented at various times. Rogue wondered where she had gone the money from.

The latex gloves were one of the worst ones. "So you can-" Kitty mimed something very inappropriate for a school. Only Rogue's embarrassment stopped her from screaming at Kitty.

The lacy body-stocking had made her blush once she realised what it was, then wonder how the hell Kitty got hold of one. Rogue was certain that Kitty wasn't one to go browsing around sex shops in the hopes off finding something her mutant best friend could use to have sex, but she didn't ask because she really didn't want to know the answer, just in case she was wrong.

The absolute worst was the saran wrap and condoms, which was just... weird. Not to mention, icky.

Logan watched these exchanges with a glower but he didn't intervene. The one time Rogue wished that he might come across as the overbearing father, he seemed to think that he'd better hold his tongue around her friends.

At the end of the third day, Piotr suggested a game of truth or dare. Since Pete was generally considered a sweetheart, Rogue (and the others) didn't have much of a problem with it. Besides, they were all going slightly stir crazy waiting for the professor to wake up, so the distraction was needed.

Oddly, Emma had stuck around even though her job was done, and looked positively gleeful at the chance to play with the others. Only Storm, Hank and Logan weren't playing as they were enjoying some child-free time in the kitchen.

The game started innocently enough, with questions about things like embarrassing moments, or crushes, or goals and dreams, and dares to recite nursery rhymes, or do press ups, or tell a joke.

Emma started the change in tone, asking Remy (with a huge smirk on her face) why, given his reputation, he was dating the only woman in the world who he couldn't touch.

If looks could kill, Emma would have been well on her way to hell with the glare that Rogue was giving her.

Remy didn't look too happy about her probing either but he answered calmly.

"Some relationships are about so much more than sensation."

Remy then asked Emma truth or dare, and she chose truth. Remy asked why she was still here.

"Because I want to make sure that the professor wakes up. I agreed to do this, I'll see it through to he end."

"Crap," Remy replied.

Emma was silent for a few moments, then finally answered, "Because I don't have anywhere else to go."

The flood gates seemed to open after that exchange and it was no holds barred.

People began asking about things that many were uncomfortable with. Rogue tried to make herself small and unnoticeable, but of course the next time it was Kitty's turn she wouldn't let her friend escape that easily. Truth seemed the safest option.

"Why won't you make out with Remy?" Kitty asked.

"Because I have poisonous skin."

It was true, so Kitty couldn't argue. Rogue would have asked Kitty why she still slept with a toy dragon, but then it would be Kitty's turn again and she knew Kitty would get her back.

When it was Tabitha's turn she too picked Rogue, and Rogue figured she was safe with her so she chose truth again.

"Why haven't you tried any of Kitty's, uh, aids?"

Rogue took a deep breath before replying, lest she kill someone. "Because I don't have to use tools to feel close to someone!"

Finally it was Kitty's turn again, and unsurprisingly, she picked Rogue.

Neither option sounded good to Rogue, but the truths had been ugly.

"Dare."

Kitty brandished a seventh silk scarf. "Kiss Remy for one minute through this."

Rogue reluctantly did, draping the scarf over her head so that her face wasn't visible to anyone. Remy leaned in close.

"We don't have to do this," he whispered.

"It's fine," she assured him. Thankfully he couldn't see how angry she looked under the scarf.

Remy looked sad. "I didn't want it to be this way."

Then he kissed her. It felt nice. Though a little odd, the scarf really didn't interfere much and when she closed her eyes, she could almost believe she was kissing Remy's lips. She got a strange feeling in her stomach, like fear but much nicer. Then the feeling moved a little south and Rogue pressed her thigh together to relieve the pressure.

When the minute was over, she pulled away faster that was probably polite, pulled the scarf off and hung her head. If he had enjoyed it even half as much as she had, Remy must be more than a little confused at her behaviour.

Having been nice with her questions up until this point Rogue now snapped and asked Bobby why of all the clothes in her bedroom, he chose to wear her bra and panties rather than Remy's clothes.

Bobby blushed and blustered and stammered out an answer that wasn't exactly coherent, but did make him turn beet red.

The game progressed, kissing dares became quite frequent, either people being asked to kiss those they had a crush on, or those they disliked.

Finally it was Bobby's turn again and he picked Rogue. She didn't think he was brave enough to dare her to do anything too extreme, so that's what she chose.

"I dare you to use these and get past second base tonight." Bobby brandished a pair of Kitty's latex gloves.

Rogue got to her feel and tore the gloves out of Bobby's grip.

"No!" she told the boy, then turned to storm out of the room.

"Rogue, we were trying to help you!" Kitty stood up, trying to plead her case and Rogue turned back. "We didn't mean any harm, we're your friends."

Rogue looked at Kitty. She could see that the other girl was sorry, but that wasn't enough to cool her ire.

"Did you put Pete up to suggesting this game?"

Kitty bit her lip but didn't answer.

"All so you could make me and Remy kiss?" She shook her head, as though trying to understand her friends. "You know what, you are all very bad friends. How dare you interfere in my life! Just because you think you know what's right for me, doesn't mean that you get to impose your will on me. I make the decisions that affect my life, not you, and the most a real friend would do is offer advice." She looked over to Bobby and angrily threw the gloves back at him. "And you! You honestly think that I would go to third base with someone just for a dare! You all sicken me!"

She left some very shame faced friend behind her. Without a word, Remy got up and followed her.

"Well, it's never dull around here, is it?" Emma said, smirking.

"Rogue is right, Kitty," Pete said. "I am sorry I listened to you and suggested this game. Rogue is a nice lady, you should not be pressuring her."

Kitty burst into tears and ran from the room.

Remy took his time heading back to the campervan, knowing that Rogue would want to let off some steam. He stopped into the kitchen and told the others that Kitty was upset and that Bobby hadn't learned his lesson about what was and wasn't appropriate behaviour and needed extra training sessions. Logan nodded his understanding and Storm headed off to see how Kitty was.

By the time Remy got to the Winebago, Rogue was changed and in bed. Remy quickly changed (on the other side of the bedroom doors) then climbed in beside her so they were facing each other. The sheet separated them as usual.

"You okay?" he asked.

Rogue shrugged but didn't answer. Remy didn't press her, until he saw a tear slide from her eyes. He reached over and ran his hand up and down the length of her arm.

"What is it?"

Rogue made an effort to get herself under control, wiped her eyes, then settled back down. They lay in silence for a while, Remy studying Rogue while she kept her gaze averted.

"Remy?" she finally broke the silence with a small voice.

"_Chère_?"

"Why haven't you asked me to use that collar?"

He was hurt that she would even ask such a thing but he knew that sometimes things needed to be said out loud. He moved his hand to seek hers and held it through the sheet.

"Because it was used to oppress and hurt you. I would never think of asking you to use it if not absolutely necessary."

She nodded but she still wasn't looking at him.

"I should tell you though, when I get back home, I agreed to send one to Hank. He wants to study the technology."

"Send? You won't be coming back?" her heart skipped a few beats at that thought.

"Sarah and I are a package deal and if your X-men don't want me around, I won't send Sarah here by herself. At least not for a few years."

Rogues heart rate settled somewhat. She did remember him saying something like that.

"Okay, but why does Hank want one?" Rogue sounds appalled.

"He has a lot of reasons. By learning how they work, he wants to see if he can find a way to override it. Also, he wants to try and reverse engineer it, to build his own, only without the explosives. He said it could be useful for mutants who's powers are out of control, like yours did a while ago, or like Jean's did one time."

"Wait, could we use a collar against Jean?" Hope swelled in her heart that they could control Jean for long enough to stop or cage or whatever this the Phoenix thing inside her was.

"Honestly I don't know. The Phoenix isn't a mutant, so it might not work. Then again, it might, it just depends on how exactly the collar works."

"Okay." She guessed she could live with that. She trusted Hank not to use the technology against anyone. But she was getting off track. "Anyway, what about the other things Kitty suggested we try, why haven't you thought of them?"

"I won't lie, most of them have occurred to me. Except that saran wrap thing, that's just weird."

A ghost of a smile graced her lips for an instant.

"Then why haven't you suggested them?"

"Because you're not ready. Rogue," he squeezed her hand. "I will never ask you to do something that you're not comfortable with, and if you're never ready, that's fine too. I'll just take a lot of cold showers."

It was a joke and while neither of them laughed, it did lighten the mood for a moment.

"Thank you," she finally looked up at him and smiled.

"Can I ask you something now?"

Rogue nodded.

"Why have you been pulling away from me? I've tried not to crowd you, to give you your space, but I can feel you shutting yourself off from me."

To his total shock, her tears returned and she looked away, studying his pillow as though it contained the secrets of the universe.

"I'm scared," she eventually admitted.

"Scared of what? Of me?"

"Maybe, but mostly I'm... I'm scared to get too close to you... in case I lose you."

"Or I betray you?" he asked.

Though she was ashamed to admit it, Rogue nodded.

"I know how you feel," he told her.

"No, you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No, Remy, you don't!" Rogue pulled her hand away and sat up, curling her knees up under her chin. "You might have had a bad father but you didn't have Mystique, okay? You don't know what it feels like to be used, to be lied to, to be nothing more than property!"

Remy sat up too but he didn't try to touch her. He didn't even like to think about this, but he supposed he knew everything about her, so she deserved to know the truth about him too.

"Do you know the reason that I didn't help defeat Apocalypse, _chère_?" he didn't expect an answer. "Jean-Luc was pissed that I got my exile overturned and decided to... to sell me to a man called Nathaniel Essex. I don't know if you've heard of him, he's a geneticist who likes to experiment on mutants. Some call him Sinister. Apparently he's had his eye on me for some time now."

He couldn't be sure, but he thought that from the set of her shoulders, Rogue looked interested.

"Jean-Luc invited me around to dinner as a peace offering, drugged my food and called Essex. That's the main reason why I told you to ask for Henri if you got into any trouble in New Orleans, I couldn't risk Jean-Luc trying to do the same to you."

"What happened?" Rogue breathed.

"What you'd expect. Lots of tests, pushing me to the limits of my endurance, then lots of weird potions he injected into me. Some made me feel like ice, others made my skin burn, then there were the ones that made me itch so much I wanted to tear my own skin off, and a couple that made my head feel like it was going to explode. Then each time, more tests to see if what he had given me improved my powers. It was every day. He only ever stopped when I passed out."

She was almost afraid to ask in case she offended him but considering what Weapon X had done for, or rather _to_ her, she had to.

"Did it work?"

"A little. I can make bigger explosions now, and if I try really hard, I can blow things up just by looking at them, but I try not to do that."

"Why?"

"Bad associations."

Rogue nodded her understanding. "How did you escape?"

"Henri. He eventually figured out what had happened, where I'd disappeared to. He put a team together and stole me back, then he blew up the base once we were clear."

"How long were you there?"

"About four weeks, I think."

"Aren't you worried he'll find you again?"

"Blowing up the base will have slowed him down, and hopefully put him off trying to reacquire me, but the fear doesn't go away."

"How do you live with it?"

"I honestly don't know, I just do. Each day removed, it gets a little less."

He moved a little closer to her. "I was lucky to have someone like Henri in my life. Without him, I don't think I would ever have learned to trust. I know that you didn't have an Henri, _chère_, but I'd like to be that person for you, the one who you can always count on, no matter what. And I know me saying it isn't going to change how you feel but if you give me a chance, I'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you."

Her shoulders began to shake as she cried and he tentatively rested a hand on her shoulder. He wanted to pull her into his arms but feared that she would push him away.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed.

"What for? You haven't done anything wrong."

But she had, she had lied about not being able to control her powers and as much as she wanted to confess everything to him, she still couldn't find the words.

Finally Remy pulled her into his arms and tucked her head into his chest, resting his chin on her hair. He stroked her hair and murmured soothing endearments to her in French until her tears finally subsided, then he laid them back down, his arm sill around Rogue and her head resting on his shoulder as she drifted off to sleep.

Remy couldn't help but notice that this was the first time they'd slept like this since they'd got back to the mansion. He had missed having her in his arms and he wished that he knew why she was pulling away from him. He would do anything to ease her pain, if only she would tell him how.

* * *

They were rudely awoken in the morning by someone pounding on the Winnebago door.

"Rogue, Remy? I am sorry to wake you but you are needed. Professor Xavier has woken up and we are making plans."

Remy rushed out and opened the door to Piotr.

"What's going on?"

"The professor woke up in the night. He feels fully recovered now and will soon be using cerebro to try and locate Jean. I tried not to wake you too early, but I thought you that would want to know this."

"Thanks. We'll be right over."

Piotr nodded and left.

"You hear that?" Remy asked as he re-entered the bedroom, knowing that the door wasn't really thick enough to be sound proof.

"Yep." She was already pulling her jeans on.

She was pleased for the rude awakening actually. She had said too much last night, or maybe she hadn't said enough. Either way, she did not want their conversation picking up where it left off.

And she really didn't want to think about having slept cuddled into Remy last night. Not only was that kind of sleeping arrangement dangerous, it was far too comfortable for her to be comfortable with it. That was the kind of thing people who were desperately in love did, and Rogue did not want to be desperately in love. She liked Remy, she cared for him, and that was as much as she felt comfortable with. Growing any closer to him was just foolish and liable to get her hurt and more than anything, she didn't want to be hurt again.


	14. Chapter 14

I know, it's been ages, sorry, but here's another update! Enjoy.

**Chapter Fourteen**

Rogue and Remy rushed through their morning routine and headed down to the basement. Storm and Hank were waiting outside cerebro, everyone else seemed to have been banished to the kitchen for breakfast.

"Grab something to eat," Storm said. "Depending on what the professor discovers, we may have to move fast."

They nodded and headed into the melee, both grabbing breakfast bars as they seemed easiest.

The professor entered about fifteen minutes later and silence quickly descended over the room. Scott, who had been keeping a low profile in the corner, stood up.

Oddly, Emma trailed in behind him. Was she _still_ here?

"Good morning," Xavier smiled at the room. "I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to talk with you individually about the past few weeks, but Storm has filled me in on most details." He turned and smiled at Rogue. "But I would just like to say, how very happy I am to see you safe and well, Rogue. Hopefully we will get a chance to talk soon."

Rogue nodded her understanding.

"In the mean time, I have discovered Jean's location."

"Where?" Scott asked.

"Nebraska."

Everyone exchanged confused looks.

"I now realise that Jean is in fact two entities, Jean Grey and the Phoenix, and I am sorry that I couldn't penetrate her mind deeply enough to discover that before. Now that I do know, I can tell that it is Jean who is in charge at the moment."

"The Phoenix is gone?" Scott asked.

"No, Scott, not gone, just dormant. I didn't probe her mind too deeply because I feared how she would view such an intrusion, but it feels as though she is hiding."

"From what?" Logan asked.

"At a guess, I would say us."

"Why would she be afraid of us?" Scott demanded.

"Well the last time we confronted her, we did attack her," Hank said reasonably.

"Or maybe she's frightened for us," Rogue added. "Now she knows what she's capable of, maybe she doesn't want to hurt us."

"I hope so," the professor said. "In either case, I have decided that Scott and Rogue should be the ones to approach Jean this time. The rest of us all played a part in trying to stop her and even if Jean doesn't view us as a threat, the Phoenix might."

"So we're going alone?" Rogue asked.

"No, we will all go but you and Scott will be the only ones to approach her, unless things get out of hand. Also, no uniforms; we don't want to frighten her or appear as anything other than Jean's friends."

A few of the X-Men still had their uniforms, but most had been destroyed with the mansion.

"So then what do we do?" Rogue asked. Getting close to Jean was only one part of the equation, stopping the Phoenix was surely the most important thing.

"I have spoken with Emma, and she tells me that before Hellfire Club changed their agenda, she believes that they had a way to stop the Phoenix. In fact stopping the entity was what they were originally formed for."

"How?" Scott demanded, glaring at Emma.

"The Phoenix needs a host to survive, so it must be forced from Jean's body. If we can keep it out for long enough, it will die."

"What's to stop it entering one of us?" Rogue asked.

"And how do we force it out?" Scott added.

"A psychic must force it out," Emma explained. "And the only way to keep it entering anyone else is with psychic force. Also, it can't enter people who can change their form, so Colossus, Kitty and Bobby should be safe."

Rogue supposed she could absorb one of them before she went to see Jean, but that didn't offer Scott or the psychics any protection.

"Are you strong enough?" Hank asked Xavier. "No offence, but you have tried to fight the Phoenix before."

"Then I was trying to trap it's power within Jean's mind, this time I will be forcing it from her mind. Emma has also agreed to help me; I think you will agree that two psychics will be better than one."

_'Unless she still has an agenda,'_ Rogue thought.

"So when do we leave?" Scott asked, seemingly having no thoughts for his own safety.

"As soon as possible. At the moment, Jean is lucid, but there is no telling when the Phoenix might reappear."

Everyone began to stand up.

"One more thing!" The butts that had been hovering over seats descended once again and everyone turned to the professor. "Mr LeBeau. First I would like to thank you, and congratulate you on rescuing Rogue. We all owe you a huge debt of gratitude. Secondly, I would like to invite you to accompany us on this mission."

"I was planning on it," Remy smiled. Invulnerable or not, there was no way he would let Rogue go into battle without him at her side.

"Good." The professor smiled warmly. "Now, let us see if we cannot rescue our last missing team member."

* * *

On the plane ride to Nebraska they discussed their plan. Scott and Rogue were the first wave, they would approach Jean and try to talk her down. Remy argued that he hadn't attacked Jean either and should be allowed to accompany them, and eventually the professor agreed.

Behind them would come Bobby, Piotr and Kitty since they were immune from being possessed by the Phoenix, with the Professor and Emma, who were supposed to expel it from Jean and keep themselves, Rogue, Remy and Scott safe from it.

The rest of the X-Men would be the final line of defence should the others fail.

Plans went back and forth on the specifics for a long time. Could Jean decide to cooperate or would the Phoenix defend itself, taking her over again? The latter seemed likely, so what were they to do then?

It was suggested that Rogue drain Jean, that they stop off in New Orleans for one of those power suppression collars, and that they hit her really hard on the head.

Rogue draining Jean was ruled out because the Phoenix could pass to her, especially since she would have Jean's power for a time and would look like a good candidate to the entity.

The power suppression collar might not work on the Phoenix, only stop Jean from using her powers against it, so that too was ruled out. No one really wanted to hit Jean on the head and anyway, she was a telekinetic, so getting close enough to strike a blow was unlikely.

Rogue was hunched over, staring at the floor as she listened to the discussion with growing guilt but nevertheless, unable to speak up.

"This is Jean we're talking about!" Scott finally yelled. "We can't hurt her!"

The pain in his voice broke Rogue's heart.

"Scott, as much as I don't like the idea, we may have to," the professor said kindly.

Rogue felt like the lowest of the low. No, she was worse than that, she was scum. This was Jean they were talking about and as much as she might not like the girl at times, Jean needed her help.

"I can stop her," Rogue said so quietly that no one could make out her words.

"I'm sorry?" The professor asked.

She looked up and swallowed before repeating herself, a little louder this time. "I said, I can stop her."

That stopped everyone short.

"Perhaps you would care to explain?" The professor asked.

Rogue looked down at the floor again and began twisting her hands. When she spoke her voice was as soft as a whisper, but everyone was so intent on her that they heard every word.

"Weapon X were trying to teach me to recall old powers. I tried not to, then I tried to hide it from them but..." she swallowed.

Remy noticed that her hands were shaking, so he grabbed them, anchoring her to this time and place rather than the past. His other hand rubbed her back, comforting her as best he could.

"I can recall Dorian's power," she finished.

The silence that followed her statement was deafening until Wolverine finally broke it.

"His power stopped Apocalypse," Logan said.

"And he wiped out all power, not just mutant powers but electricity and weapons too." Storm added.

"Then that power is the best chance we got to stop this Phoenix long enough to get it out of Jean." Logan said.

"The psychics must be kept away from that power though," Kitty thought. "We don't want them getting powered down too."

"Rogue was able to direct the pulse last time," Logan assured her. "As long as they stay behind her, they should be fine."

Silence reigned again for a few moments. Everyone was so happy to have a solution that Rogue felt even worse about her deception.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." Rogue said, her voice catching as she apologised for her betrayal.

"I think that is quite understandable, Rogue. No one here blames you," the professor assured her.

Rogue sniffed but didn't look up. Having noticed her increased anxiety as she spoke of her new control, Xavier had to wonder if she would be able to use her powers when just talking about it seemed to bring on a mild panic attack, which he didn't think was associated with her guilt.

"Rogue, I'm sorry to have to ask, but do you have enough control to do this?"

Rogue sniffed again and looked up, her former strength returning. She may have let them down by lying to them about her powers, but she wasn't going to do so now, when it really counted. And maybe she was still lying to Remy about the extent of her control, but she couldn't afford to think about that right now.

"It makes me tired, so I won't be able to keep it up for long if there's much of a fight, but I can do it if you all can act fast."

"We will," Xavier assured her.

"Can you control more than one power at once?" Emma asked.

Rogue narrowed her eyes at the other woman, figuring that she was just the type to be interested in her new ability. She'd probably sell Rogue out to the highest bidder the first chance she got and only wanted to know the full extend of her control so she could ask a higher price. And if that sounded a paranoid, Rogue figured that after everything she'd been through, she was entitled to a little paranoia.

"Why?" Logan asked Emma when Rogue didn't answer.

"Because she can absorb my diamond form, or Piotr, Bobby or Kitty's mutation for that matter, so that the Phoenix can't enter her. She will be the closest one to it and conceivably, the one in the most danger."

Okay, so maybe Emma wasn't the Antichrist, Rogue admitted. Still, that didn't mean she wasn't evil, just not pure evil.

"I'm already invulnerable," Rogue reminded her.

"Yes, but still an organic person. I don't think that being invulnerable is going to stop the Phoenix from getting into your mind."

"Good idea," the professor agreed, then turned to Rogue. "Can you use two powers at once?"

Rogue nodded. "I already have Kitty and Emma on file though," she tapped her temple. "I don't need to absorb anyone again." She didn't add that doing so would weaken her more quickly.

Remy sat silently through the exchange, unwilling for Rogue to even be in danger, let alone the one to attack this creature. They didn't even know what I was and they had no guarantee that Rogue could control her power, or even that this Dorian's power would work against it, but he was fairly certain that if she failed, the Phoenix would be mighty pissed off with her.

"Then maybe Gumbo and Scott should stay back," Logan suggested. "Kitty and Piotr can protect Emma and the professor with their powers, but Bobby can't turn other people to ice yet, so who will protect them from this Phoenix?"

He had a valid point, and Rogue really didn't think she could use two powers at the same time _and_ share one of those powers with someone else. Besides, that would require touching Scott, skin to skin. While she could touch now, she really wasn't ready for that final secret to come out yet. No, it was better to keep them out of harms way all together.

Needless to say, Scott and Remy fought them and argued their point for the rest of the journey, refusing not to be there while Rogue fought Jean and as they were nearing their destination, Rogue had had enough. She surreptitiously removed one glove, then quickly reached over to touch Scott's hand. He went out like a light. She looked to Remy, who held his hands up in surrender.

"Fine, you win," he assured her. The only thing worse than not being with Rogue while she took Jean on, was being unconscious while she took Jean on.

Rogue pulled her glove back on as everyone else stared at her.

Remy was willing to bet that no one would be breaking into her underwear drawer again any time soon. Rogue was back, and she was not to be messed with.

The professor was able to sense when they neared Jean and the jet landed a safe distance away, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. They then walked for a while and according to the road signs, away from the closest town, causing everyone to wonder exactly where Jean was holed up. A short while later they left the road and stopped at a fence.

"She's in there," Emma pointed to a barn in the distance. Being so remote added credence to Rogue's suggestion that Jean was trying to keep people safe from her.

The others stayed at the fence as Rogue, Emma, Xavier, Piotr, Kitty and Bobby began to walk closer. Emma had explained that she couldn't use her psychic abilities while in her diamond form, so Piotr took Emma's hand and transformed himself and her to his metallic form. Kitty took the professors hand and phased him, Bobby turned into his ice form and pushed the professors wheelchair, while Rogue decided to try Emma's diamond form, which she thought actually looked kind of cool.

Unfortunately they hadn't made it ten feet when Jean felt their presence. The professor began having a one sided conversation with her and though Emma could probably hear both sides, the rest of them were left trying to fill in the blanks.

"Jean, calm down, we're here to help you, not harm you." "It's all right, Jean, just keep calm." "No Jean, fight it! You can't let it gain control! Fight!"

But it wasn't enough.

Seconds later the barn exploded, the flames forming a giant bird which rose into the sky. Below it was Jean, her arms outstretched, her head thrown back, her red hair whipping around her head, looking like more flames. She appeared to be hovering slightly above the ground, then she moved, gliding towards the X-Men even though she wasn't looking at them.

The fence posts and railings began to come lose, then broke up into hundreds of smaller shards which hurled themselves at the X-Men heading towards the barn. The others rushed over to help and quickly became targets too, batting away wooden spikes that could easily kill them. Bobby created an ice wall around them to protect them, but the Phoenix quickly shattered it into a million pieces. Bobby rebuilt it, it shattered again.

Remy made his way to Rogue's side, despite her being perfectly safe from harm in diamond form.

"Can you blast it from here, _chère_?" he asked.

"It's too far," she said, taking off at a run towards Jean. She regretted not helping the others fight off the wooden stakes, but stopping Jean was the only real way to end this. Remy ran beside her.

"Get away," she told him. "They need you more than I do!"

"I ain't leaving you, _chère_. I can distract her while you knock her powers out."

Then from nowhere, Kurt appeared beside Rogue, took her hand, then they both disappeared.

"Son of a bitch!" Remy screamed, then a second later something hit his side. He looked down to see that a large splinter of wood, about the side of an old fashioned tent stake, had gone right through his side. He swore again, thinking that his coat was going to be a bitch to repair, then he continued towards Jean and Rogue, running as fast as his legs would carry him.

He could see that Rogue was already there and Kurt was gone, he had probably teleported away, the coward, then a ripple seemed to go through he air and suddenly the flame's dissipated as quickly as they had formed.

Remy continued to run.

Kurt teleported the professor and Kitty close to Rogue then disappeared again. Then Emma and Piotr were teleported close to Rogue and finally, Bobby. Remy kept running, his lungs burning as he raced to his Rogue. He didn't think he'd ever run this fast before, not even when he was escaping from the law.

Finally he was there and he bent over, panting. The pain in his side was killing him but he couldn't worry about that now. He forced himself to stand up in case he missed anything. Pete looked over at him and nodded, so he knew that at least one person wouldn't chew him out for doing this. Of all these people, Pete knew what it was to do anything for someone you loved. He had even turned to the dark side and worked for Magneto to protect his family.

The burly Russian then held his hand out and Remy took it, grateful for the protection. The pain in his side eased a little as his form became metal and he was grateful for the respite.

Emma and the Professor seemed to be having a silent conversation with each other, then Jean collapsed and something appeared over her. It looked like those heat waves that you see coming off a hot road, and it floated above and away from Jean. The blob of wavy air shimmered and whirled in an attempt to get away but it was seemingly being held well in place. He couldn't be sure, but Remy thought that it was beginning to get smaller.

Bobby darted in front of Rogue and pulled Jean's unconscious body behind her, then he lifted Jean's arm up so that Kitty could take her hand and phase her, thus stopping the Phoenix from re-entering her body.

Suddenly the shimmering air spontaneously combusted into a huge ball of flame. Rogue raised her arms and once again sent out another pulse of Dorian's power, causing the flames to die once more. Rogue stumbled afterwards though, as though tripping, yet she wasn't moving and had nothing to trip over. Now the ball really looked smaller.

It twisted and writhed, seeming to act more and more desperate as time went on. The flames burst forth again, quicker this time, but Rogue put them out, then fell to the ground. She slowly made her way back to her feet but it was difficult and she almost fell again a few times. The poor girl looked utterly exhausted and it was only her stubbornness and determination that was keeping her on her feet.

Remy tried to pull his hand from Piotr's grip but his friend held fast. A part of Remy's mind new that if he let go of Piotr and reverted to his human form, the Phoenix could enter him and that would mean that Rogue's work would have been for nothing, but all he could think was that Rogue needed him and he wasn't at her side.

Rogue had to issue a forth blast of Dorian's power and fell again, this time able to do nothing more than sit upright. The flames again died away, then finally, with a very anticlimactic 'pift' sound, the shimmering air disappeared completely.

Rogue immediately let go of her diamond form and collapsed. Remy wrenched his hand out of Piotr's grip and ran to her.

"_Chère_?" he asked, turning her onto her back and pushing her hair off her face, careful not to touch her skin. She had a line of blood running from her nose, which, while not large, still terrified him. "Rogue, answer me? Wake up."

The X-Men formed a circle around them.

"Is she hurt?" Bobby asked. No one knew how to answer him.

The professor closed his eyes and raised two fingers to his temple for a few moments.

"She is fine," he finally declared, and everyone visibly relaxed, except Remy.

"How can you say she's fine?" he demanded. "She did the bulk of the work here and now she's unconscious and bleeding!"

"Not unconscious, Remy, simply drained. She will come around soon and after a good sleep, will be perfectly well again."

"She's given so much for you people, and all you care about is using her powers for your cause!" Remy realised that perhaps that he was perhaps being a little unfair, but right now it was how he felt and actually, he found that he had a lot more to say on the matter. "You couldn't even find her or rescue her! I suppose your high and mighty morals wouldn't allow you to ask in the underworld, would they! No, better to let Rogue suffer than taint your good reputation! Then, when your precious protege starts raising hell, you forget all about Rogue. She deserves better."

"We had no idea who or what had taken her, so we did not know to ask the criminal fraternity," Xavier answered calmly. "Had our search been more directed, we may well have found her, but there is no way to know. Believe me, if we had known who had taken her, we all would have moved heaven and earth to get her out, regardless of morality."

Rogue groaned, reminding Remy that he had more important things to do than berate a disabled pensioner right now.

"Come on, _chère_, wake up, you're starting to worry me. _Chère_, please."

She finally stirred and screwed her eyes up before finally opening them.

"Hey." She offered him a small smile.

"Hey." He grinned back, grateful that she wasn't dead.

"If you ever follow me after you promise not to again, I will hurt you." She assured him, though her words didn't have their usual venom thanks to her lethargy, and she didn't complain one jot as Remy pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

Remy released her then helped her to her feet. She swayed a bit and grabbed his arm for support, then seemed to steady herself enough to walk.

Kurt had been transporting the other X-Men over to them and everyone seemed thrilled that this was finally over, though many looked bruised and battered from the flying wooden stakes. Roberto seemed to have a bad wound on his upper arm which was bleeding badly, Kurt had his tail curled protectively against his body but the tip, about a foot from the end, was at a funny angle, probably broken. Hank had a large patch of red fur on his hip but he didn't seem to be bleeding too much, and while Logan was covered in blood, he looked perfectly healthy how. The others looked like they had escaped any serious damage, though they all looked battered and bruised. Amara and Sam were missing, Amara because she was badly injured and Sam because he had carried her back to the Blackbird so that he could tie a tourniquet around her leg before she lost too much blood.

Piotr went over to Jean and picked her unconscious form up in his arms.

"Will she be okay?" Kitty asked.

"Yes, we put her to sleep when we expelled the Phoenix to spare her any further trauma," the professor assured her.

"What?" Kitty didn't understand.

"Though we expelled the Phoenix entity, it has shared Jeans body since she was a few weeks old. There was no telling if it might still be able to harm her, or even control her once expelled, so I thought I safest to put her into a deep sleep. She will wake naturally in a few hours, I assure you. Now, let's get back to the jet so that we can treat our wounded and of course, reunite Scott with Jean."

They all trundled back towards where they had left the jet but by the time they got back to the fence, Remy was seriously doubting his ability to walk all the way there. His side was killing him and the pain was making him light headed. He'd had worse wounds though, so he didn't really understand it. Besides he had to stay strong for Rogue, she was exhausted and leaning against him for support. If he collapsed, who would she lean on?

Someone else would help her of course, but it was _his_ job, not theirs.

The jet was in sight when Remy's will was no longer enough to keep him upright and he fell to the road, landing hard.

"Remy!" Rogue got down beside him. "Oh my god, what's wrong?"

"I think Jeanie got me with one of her spikes," he said, though his words were slurred.

Rogue began searching him and he heard her gasp as she pushed his coat aside. The dark colours of his clothes had hidden the blood but now that she looked, she could see that his chest and pants were covered in something wet. She reached a hand out to touch his shirt, and it came away red with blood.

"Hank!" she screamed, and almost immediately there appeared a fuzzy blue mutant over him. Remy thought it was Hank, but his eyesight was blurred so it could be Kurt.

"He's lost a lot of blood." Yes, that was definitely Hank, Remy though as he closed his eyes. "His pulse is weak. We need to get in on the jet now! Kurt!"

Remy and Hank disappeared with Kurt, leaving a distressed Rogue on her own.

"Come on!" Kitty grabbed her hand they they ran back to the jet.

By the time they got there, Hank was already transfusing blood into Remy. Thankfully the jet was equipped with some medical supplies, though it was a shadow of the med lab at the mansion.

"We need to get back as soon as we can," Hank said.

Storm took the pilots seat and before the door had even closed, they were taking off and heading for home.

"I have to stop the bleeding," Hank said, and to everyone's surprise, he took out a scalpel and began cutting into Remy.

It was brutal to watch this makeshift surgery but that wasn't the reason that Rogue had tears streaming down her face. It was because she finally realised what an idiot she had been.

She was madly in love with him.

It didn't matter how much distance she had tried to put between her and Remy, losing him wouldn't have hurt any less. In fact she felt such a gut wrenching grief that it physically hurt, and she would give anything if he could just be okay again. She couldn't believe that she'd wasted so much time pushing him away, when she could have been enjoying him, enjoying them, and if he died now, that denial of her feelings for him would be her single biggest regret.


	15. Chapter 15

AN: This is nearly it, guys, just one chapter to go! *sob*

Thanks to everyone who commented, I'm glad you're all still enjoying this.

As to Remy's outburst at the professor last chapter (whether you agree with anything he said or not) it was mainly just the rantings of a terrified boyfriend and I'm sure Remy's own background coloured his rant a little. Lets face it, Remy's dad only took him in because he was a mutant, and you don't see the professor taking in any humans with hard luck stories, do you? He likes the X-Men and what they stand for but unsurprisingly, he's just a teeny bit cynical, especially when Rogue gets hurt because of them!

**Chapter Fifteen**

Rogue sat at Remy's bedside, sound asleep, her head resting on his bed. The adrenalin surge caused when she realised he was badly wounded was had only staved off her exhaustion for a while, then she had crashed.

Hank entered the room to check on the pair, though it was much longer than he would like between check up's. Remy had been the number one priority when they got back but once he was dealt with, Hank had a number of other patients to see to, with both serious and moderate wounds. Remy was of course, wired up to machines that would alert Hank if there was a problem with him, but so far he seemed stable.

"How are they?"

Hank actually jumped when the professor spoke, he really must be tired for someone to be able to sneak up on him.

"Rogue is fine, just tried. Remy nicked the hepatic vein and lost a lot of blood, but he will be fine also, with time."

"And you?" The professor looked to the red stained fur on Hank's hip.

"Mainly superficial, I assure you. As soon as I am done here, I intend to take nice long shower, then sleep for a weak." It was now 4 o'clock in the morning, so he was only half joking.

The professor smiled. "You have gone above and beyond the call of duty today."

Hank smiled at the praise. "And how are you feeling after the ordeals of yesterday?"

"Quite well, thank you. Jean is sleeping now, but I expect her to make a full recovery also."

"Does she remember what the Phoenix did?"

"Oh yes," The professor said darkly. "She will need therapy to come to terms with what's happened but her mind is in tact, which is what matters. Anything else can be dealt with later."

Hank nodded his agreement and went to check on Remy's vitals.

"Should Rogue still be here?" The professor asked. After Jean was declared physically healthy, he had spent all his time helping her, and so wasn't aware of all that had been going on in the med bay.

"She won't be moved," Hank said softly so as not to wake her or Remy. "She will have a sore neck in the morning, but that is all."

He finished checking the readouts, wrote something on Remy's chart, then hung it from the end of the bed once more.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, Charles, I think I'll head to the showers."

"Of course."

Hank left but the Professor stayed where he was, studying the two mutants in front of him. He was surprised to wake up from his coma and find that Rogue had returned, and shocked to discover that Remy had not only rescued her, but accompanied her back. He was then positively astounded to hear that the two were dating.

Rogue, the untouchable woman, whose prickly demeanour kept people away as reliably as her mutant powers did.

And Remy, the heartbreaking, womanising Acolyte.

Never in his wildest dreams could he have envisaged this pairing, but they seemed devoted to each other. Well, Remy seemed devoted to Rogue; she in turn seemed intent on making him keep his distance, though her love was clear to see, at least to him.

He didn't know quite what to make of this, but he intended to welcome Remy into the fold, if that's what the young man wanted. Storm had told him about Remy's ward, Sarah, and his hopes that she could come to school here. Considering the Cajun's past, Xavier found it much easier to believe Remy capable of that kindness to a fellow mutant, than his pledging himself to the untouchable Rogue.

However, one of his main beliefs was in peoples ability to change, he just didn't get to witness such change very often. It was nice to be pleasantly surprised once in a while.

Just then, Rogue groaned, sat up, rotated her neck to work out the kinks, then opened her eyes.

"Professor?"

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you," he smiled at her.

"No, you didn't, I," she looked at her watch. "Wow, I've been out for eight hours. No wonder my neck hurts." She looked to Remy, then the machines. "Has there been any change?"

"He is stable and Hank expects him to make a full recovery."

For some unknown reason, Rogue burst into tears. Sometimes Charles felt that he would never understand teenagers.

"Rogue, whatever is the matter?"

"I lied to him," she said. "Ever since we got back, I couldn't stop worrying that I might not have time to make it right."

"Can I ask what it is that you have to make right?" He didn't want to pry but if she needed help, he was happy to give it. It still bothered him that she had been kidnapped on his watch and he had been unable to find her. Whatever help she needed, even if it was just a friendly ear, he would give it willingly.

"I kept pushing him away," she admitted, wiping her tears away and trying to get her emotions under control. "I was just so scared, you know? I mean, I like him, I've always liked him, and when he rescued me, I saw another side to him, a side I could love. And I know he loves me too, he's proved it time and time again, just in these last few weeks."

"So what's the problem?" He asked kindly.

"I couldn't trust him," she admitted. "I don't even think it's his fault, I sometimes think that I can't trust anyone."

"Even us?"

Rogue finally looked away from Remy and met Xavier's eye. She nodded, sadly.

"I thought you'd left me there, I thought that you didn't care any more, or that I was too much trouble." She looked back at Remy, too ashamed of her thoughts to look at the professor. "Even when we got back and they told me how hard everyone looked, especially you, I was still mad at you all."

"I think that is perfectly understandable, Rogue."

She looked at him again, shocked. "You do?"

"While I don't claim to know all the details, you went through a terrible ordeal. Anger, even at your closest and most trusted friends, is not unexpected. Even if we could not be blamed in any way for leaving you there, I might also expect you to be angry that we were spared an ordeal that you were forced to endure."

"I would never wish that on-"

"Please, hear me out. I know that you would never consciously wish that on anyone, but feeling that way is not unnatural, nor does it make you a bad person, Rogue. Life has been very unfair to you, and I don't just mean with Weapon X. Feeling angry at the injustice and resentful of those who were spared your ordeals is perfectly normal."

Rogue was silent as she thought about this. She didn't believe him, but it was nice to hear someone she respected tell her that she wasn't bad for feeling the way she did.

"I hope that you will let me work through some of these issues with you properly once things have calmed down a little," he continued. "But in the mean time, I believe you were trying to explain why you lied to Remy?"

Rogue nodded but didn't elaborate for a few moments.

"I guess I should start with the hypnotist." So she explained about Ginny, how her emotions were stopping her from using her powers properly, and how she had been hypnotising herself every day to get more control of her emotions. "Then I suddenly realised how my power worked, how I could control it. I was able to turn it off for a time, and each day after I've done the exercises Ginny gave me, it gets a little easier."

"But you haven't told Remy?" he guessed.

She shook her head. "I'm just not ready to take that leap."

"Well, commencing a physical relationship is a big step-"

"No, it's not that. Well, not mostly that. He's said that he would never pressure me, and I believe him."

"Then it is intimacy you fear, not sex?"

"I guess. It's just so much easier to keep people at arms length when they can't touch you, it reminds me why I can't never get too close to someone." Her tears spilled over once again and she wiped at her eyes. "I though that by keeping some distance between us, I could protect myself but when I thought he might be dying today... I've never felt pain like it, Professor. The stupid Cajun already stole my heart and there's nothing I can do to get it back!"

"I wouldn't say that, Rogue. Relationships end every day and while it may be hard, both parties move on eventually. That option is open to you as well."

Rogue looked at him as if he had grown a second head.

"I don't want to lose him! I love him!"

The professor smiled slightly, and she realised that he had been trying to get her to admit her true feelings. She looked over to Remy when she heard his heart monitor speed up, though he still seemed dead to the world.

"Can he hear me?" she asked.

"Would it be so bad if he could?"

Rogue didn't answer, just bit down on her lower lip. The act made her look very young and innocent.

"I know that loving someone is frightening, Rogue, and I can only guess how hard it must be for someone like you, who has been betrayed so often but I can assure you, taking that risk is worth any future pain that might come. And yes, I do speak from personal experience."

"You don't wish that you hadn't been with your ex's? Saved yourself that heartache?"

"No. As painful as breakups have been, I would never wish myself rid of the experience, or the good memories."

"Maybe that's why I'm upset," she said. "Maybe when I could have lost him, I realised that I hadn't just lost him, I'd lost all those memories that we could have made, even if it was only a few weeks worth. What do you think?"

"I think that quite likely."

They sat in silence again for a few moments, with only the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor for company.

Rogue's head was filled with reasons not to do this. What if he rejected her? What if he cheated on her? What if he didn't feel the same way about her? Could she really take those risks?

"I cannot tell you what to do, Rogue, but I can tell you that if you don't act, you will come to regret it."

Rogue offered him a watery smile. "Thanks professor."

"My pleasure."

He left then and Rogue turned back to Remy, wondering if she really was brave enough to put her heart on the line. Then she realised that whether she wanted to admit it or not, her heart was already on the line.

Remy would be hurt that she had kept her control secret from him, and he would be hurt when she admitted that she had tried to push him away. She just hoped that he would give her another chance. She couldn't promise to never hurt him again, but she could promise to love him always. She just had to hope that it was enough.

* * *

Early the next morning, before most of the others were awake, Kurt popped his head into Remy's room and Rogue offered him a tired smile.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

"You look tired, have you slept at all?"

"I dozed," she shrugged his worry off.

"Gambit would not like you making yourself ill. You should eat and then get some sleep."

Rogue smiled at his concern. "I don't think I could eat right now, and I'm really much more comfortable here with him, than alone in bed."

Kurt nodded. He knew his sister was stubborn and he knew that if he kept pressing the point, they would likely have a fight. He was here to make her feel better, not anger her.

"How is he?" Kurt approached the bed and looked down at it's occupant. He looked so much younger an more innocent while asleep than when he was awake.

"No change from last night," Rogue said.

Kurt found his eyes glued to Remy, but no longer because he wanted to know how he was. He desperately had to ask something, but he also didn't want t know in case it hurt.

"What's wrong?" Rogue asked. She knew him too damn well.

"I was wondering... I mean... I... Do you think that we are just using you to further our cause?" Kurt blurted once he found the courage.

Rogue pressed her lips together for a moment wondering how truthful she should be.

"Sometimes, I don't know," she confessed. "I mean, I know deep down that you don't, that you all really are my friends but I've been used to many times before that... well it's kinda hard not to think the worst sometimes. And I know that's my fault, not yours but I can't help the way I feel."

"So, if you thought that we were using you, would you leave?" Kurt still kept his eyes trained on Remy.

Rogue was silent for a long while as she debated her answer. The truth was, she had never given a serious amount of thought to what she would do in that scenario because she seldom allowed herself to think it.

"It would depend on the situation, but I think I'd stay." she eventually decided.

"Why?". Finally he looked over at her, and was shocked by the warm emotion he saw on her face.

"Because y'all are my family," she said, as though it was the simplest thing in the world. She gave him a shy smile, which he returned. "Besides, I actually believe in the professors dream now, of mutants and humans living on peace, side by side."

Rogue looked down at Remy, then brushed some hair off his forehead with her gloved hand.

"When I came here, it was because I had no where else to go," she confessed. "I honestly didn't think I'd stay long because I never stay anywhere for long, and I was just waiting until one of you tried to hurt me. I never really expected y'all to accept me but you did and somewhere along the way, you became family."

"And why do you want Remy to join the team now?"

Rogue looked up sharply, expecting disapproval from her brother for her choice in men, instead all she saw on his face was curiosity.

"Because he needs a family too, even if it is a bunch of messed up, mutant superheroes."

Kurt nodded his understanding, and even gave her a smile for her joke.

"I hope he finds it then," Kurt declared. "Though honestly, after risking his life unnecessarily and not working as a team, I think we have to worry about him surviving Wolverine's danger room sessions first."

Rogue couldn't help smiling. "How about you, how's the tail?"

Kurt held his tail up so that Rogue could see his cast near the tip.

"It was a clean fracture, Dr McCoy said, so I shouldn't have to wear this for too long."

"Does it hurt?"

"Only when I use it or bump it, so I'm trying not to."

"So when can i sign it?" Rogue smiled at her little brother.

Kurt's eyes lit up, clearly no one else had suggested that yet. "Wait here, I'll be right back!" He dashed off to find a pen that could write on his cast.

* * *

The professor returned a little later and sat with Rogue for a while. He knew that she'd been through a nightmare, he was just surprised that she seemed to be dealing with it so well. Still, he was here for her if she wanted to talk.

"How is he?" The professor asked her.

"Hank says he's okay, he should wake up sometime soon."

"I'm glad," he smiled. "And I know that you may not like to talk about this yet, or ever, but if you want to talk about anything that has happened while you were away, my door is always open."

"Am I that much of a basket case?" Rogue teased.

"Not at all, but I can't help but notice that you seem to have some permanent new powers. I thought that perhaps you might be traumatised by that, if nothing else."

Rogue looked over and smiled. "Actually, of all the people I've ever absorbed, Carol is the only one that I'm kinda happy about."

"Happy?"

She knew she shouldn't have said anything because now he wanted answers. She took a deep breath, preparing herself to relive some of her time in the facility.

"Carol had been in that place for about two years before I got there. They were using a new form of mind control on her."

"It didn't work?"

"Oh it worked, but in their haste to have a new super soldier, they hadn't tested the long term side-effects. She thinks she was there for about six months when they first gave it to her. For ten or so weeks she was the perfect mindless drone, doing exactly what she was told, unable to stop herself, but then she began to feel numbness in her hands and feet. Unfortunately, she didn't have any free will to be able to tell them that, and they had stopped giving her regular check-ups at week 8. She thinks it was probably another six or so weeks before they noticed the spreading paralysis, but she had too much of a build up of this stuff in her system by then, it was irreversible.

"She ended up locked her in her own mind, unaware of anyone or anything around her any more, unable to communicate at all. They'd been trying for a year or so to undo what they did, but they couldn't reverse it, so they had me absorb her to death because she was useless to them. Unlike most people, she didn't feel any pain when I absorbed her; she couldn't feel pain any more. She was frightened and angry at first, then she quickly realised that she wasn't alone in my head, that she had company there, and even a little awareness of what was going on in the outside world. She said it was the best thing that could have happened to her."

The professor smiled, pleased that she finally had a good memory to associate with her powers, even if it did have to be under horrific circumstances.

"And what of this Ginny you spoke of? How did she help you?"

"Remy could probably explain it better but she basically balances your emotions. She says that too much of one emotion can throw the others out of whack, and she rebalanced them for me. She lessened my guilt and frustration, then taught me how to do it myself. Each day it got a little easier, then slowly I just sort of came to understand how my power worked. Like instinct, you know?"

"I believe so," he nodded. "May I have a look?"

Rogue knew he meant a look into her mind, and she nodded her agreement. Xavier closed his eyes and put two fingers to his temple, then moments later, Rogue felt his presence in her mind and did her best to relax since that made it easier for him to look around.

_'Amazing,' _he exclaimed in her head.

_'I thought so,'_ Rogue answered.

The mental blocks that he had taught her to put into place were completely gone now and in their place was a wondrous mental landscape where her psyches could interact with each other and basically just exist and be happy, without needing to bother Rogue. The region she had set up for them wasn't so much a second mind, as Rogue had thought it, but more a dark corner of her mind. Everyone has them, places where they put their deepest or darkest memories, fears and various other traumas. This one in Rogue's mind had always been devoid of those associations, though she had plenty of other dark corners that they inhabited. Never though, had the professor dreamed that this little, empty corner of Rogue's mind could be crafted into, for want of a better word, a home for the psyches.

Clearly this dark corner was only dark because Rogue hadn't learned how to use her gift, and it had always been here, waiting for her to fill it. He withdrew from her mind and looked up, smiling.

"I must say, it had never occurred to me that emotions could have such a drastic effect on powers. I think once life has settled down, I might like to meet this Ginny."

"She's a lovely woman, you'd like her."

"I hope so. I also hope that together, we can work through some of your issues surrounding what Weapon X did to you?" It was a question, not a demand. "I understand that you have had a panic attack."

Rogue nodded and looked down to where her hand held Remy's.

"I know I have to face it," she said. "But not now, not yet. I just want things to get back to normal for a little while."

"Quite understandable, just know that my door is always open." He smiled. "Now, lunch will be served very soon, will you join us?"

"I want to stay with him."

"Then I'll have a plate sent along for you."

She was glad that he wasn't pressuring her into anything, he wasn't even hassling her about Remy, which was lovely.

"Professor?"

He had been about to leave but turned his chair back to her.

"Do you think that... well, is there any chance that maybe, Remy could become an X-Man?"

"Has he expressed such a desire?"

"Not in so many words, but... They told you about Sarah, right?"

He nodded that they had.

"He said that he'd been thinking of coming here for her. He wants her to be among her own kind but couldn't send her away to school on her own. And I know he's a thief and a former acolyte but he's not a bad man, professor, he just hasn't known any better way until now."

"Obviously I can only speak for myself, but I would be pleased to have him."

"And the others?"

"Perhaps it would be best to call a meeting to discuss it, then we can all vote."

"Okay," she nodded. "But not until he wakes up. I don't want him to think we're conspiring against him or anything."

"As you wish," and with a final smile, the professor left her alone with Remy once more.

* * *

Remy awoke to the sensation of a cool hand and stroking his cheek and as nice as it felt, he knew it wasn't Rogue. Rogue's caresses came with the texture of leather, wool, cotton or whatever else they could make gloves from. The hand touching him now was definitely not gloved. It felt nice, but he knew it was wrong to be enjoying the touch.

"Whoever you are, my girlfriends gonna kick your ass when she finds you caressing me."

"Is that so?"

Well that was weird, because he could have sworn that was Rogue's voice. Was she really okay with someone touching his face so intimately? Though his eyelids felt nailed shit, he somehow pried them open and blinked against the harsh light from overhead fluorescents. When he could stand to look, her beautiful face suddenly came into focus above him. Slowly her shoulders came into focus too, then her upper arm, which was reaching over him...

He was fairly certain that he was missing something important here, a clue as to why Rogue wasn't mad at him, or this other woman. If only his brain would clear a little. Remy felt like his skull was filled with cotton wool. He looked to the other side of the bed, but no one was standing there, so who the hell was stroking his face, not to mention, giving him thoughts that a man on his sick bed really shouldn't be having.

Then it hit him. He raised his hand to his cheek and removed the hand he found there, holding it out in front of him. Sure enough, it was attached to Rogue's arm.

"_Chère_?"

Rogue leaned over the bed and kissed him on the lips. There was no passion in the kiss, just love and reverence and while almost platonic, he couldn't remember ever having a kiss that felt this tender before.

Remy smiled at her as she pulled away.

"I have a feeling you got something you want to tell me," he said, and she nodded. Remy took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly. He still felt dog tired and slightly woozy. "This better not be some drug induced dream," he muttered, trying desperately to open his eyelids again but they refused to cooperate this time.

* * *

The next time he awoke he felt much better, and his eyes opened without much force on his part. Rogue was still at his bedside.

"Did I dream that you kissed me?" he asked.

Rogue just shook her head.

"You don't look too keen to tell me what's going on, so maybe I can get checked out and we can have this talk in our home, _non_?"

"You haven't even asked if you're okay!" she sounded exasperated.

"That's what I've got you for," he smirked but quickly became serious again. "After, uh, after Essex, I don't like Hospitals, _chère_. Please, let's not do this here?"

"I'll go get Hank."

Remy nodded his agreement and she left. In the few moments that she was gone, Remy noticed that he had two I.V.s and wondered what they were for. Still, that wasn't nearly so important as what had happened the first time he woke up. Rogue had touched him but what did it mean? Was she using the collar? Had she somehow been stripped of her powers? Or had she got control of them? How? Why? When?

His questions could go on for an age, so he was glad of the distraction when Rogue came back with Hank.

"I hear that you are ready to discharge yourself," Hank smiled.

"Thanks for patching me up, doc, but I don't really do hospitals. No offence."

"None taken, and I can do nothing more for you here. As long as you promise to avoid all strenuous activity and come and see me if you have any problems, I am happy for you to recuperate in your own bed."

"Thanks, Doc."

Hank set about removing the I.V.s.

"Why'd I need two?" Remy asked.

"One for pain medication, the other for antibiotics. I'm afraid that I had to operate in the field, in less than sanitary conditions, so this is just a precaution. If you're wondering, the stake nicked a vein, you lost a lot of blood and damaged your liver. It took some time, but I managed to patch you up. You should recover, but no strenuous activity or drinking until I say so, all right?"

"Sure, doc," he said, though he had hardly heard his words. He remembered someone saying that Amara was badly hurt. If his treatment had meant that that poor kid... Well, he didn't want to even think about it, yet he had to ask.

"What about Amara? Wasn't she badly hurt?"

"She was, but unlike you, she didn't damage any veins or arteries. She needed a transfusion and her femur is cracked, but she will be fine."

Remy breathed a sigh of relief.

Hank handed him a bottle of pills. "Take up to eight a day, one or two every four hours as needed." He handed him a second bottle. "Antibiotics. Take three a day, one every eight hours."

"Thanks, Doc."

Rogue helped Remy change into new clothes since he felt as weak as a kitten, then she helped him up the ladder and into the Winnebago. She settled on him the couch then fussed over him for a while. Did he need a drink? Was he hungry? How was the pain? Did he need a pain pill?

Finally, when she had run out of things to offer him, she sat next to him, keeping her distance. Remy waited for her to explain but she didn't.

"So, you kissed me," he teased. In an awkward conversation, the last thing you needed, especially with Rogue, was probing questions. That would just make her defensive and liable to clam up. Teasing was a much better option.

Rogue licked her lips then finally explained. "Those exercises that Ginny gave me really helped," she said, looking at her hands which were folded in her lap, rather than at Remy. "After a few days, I just sort of realised how my powers work, like on an instinctual level. My control has grown stronger ever since."

Remy put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him.

"I'm sorry you couldn't tell me," he said, feeling awful that Rogue felt she had to keep her control a secret from him. What kind of man must he be that she didn't feel she could trust him with something so important?

"No, it's not your fault, Remy."

"It is, Rogue. If I was a better man, you would have felt like you could trust me. I wish I could be perfect for you, I want to be but I'm flawed. Just like everyone else, only a little more so."

"No, you gave your heart to me completely, warts and all but I... I kept pieces of my heart from you. I thought I was protecting myself but I wasn't, I was just hurting you, Remy. Hurting both of us, and I'm sorry, Remy, I'm so sorry. I just... You're the best thing that ever happened to me, and I can't quite believe that you won't leave me. Can you ever forgive me?"

Remy looked at her and his heart felt like bursting with love. Here was this woman, this smart, beautiful, strong woman, and she was apologising to him for not loving him enough? Didn't she realise that he would take what he could get and be happy with it?

Remy, the ladies man, was reduced to begging scraps from the queens table. And he didn't care one jot! He laughed at his own realisation.

"Don't laugh at me!" Rogue became defensive.

Remy tried to sober his expression but a smile remained on his lips. "I wasn't laughing at you, _chère_, I never would. I was laughing at me. I..." he shook his head. "Of all the futures I imagined for myself, this, domestic bliss, was not one of them. Who would have thought that Remy LeBeau could ever settle for one woman, and not only that, be happy to? I love you, _mon chère_. I always will, nothing's gonna change that. Ever."

"So you forgive me?" she sounded hesitant.

"No."

Her face fell and she looked down. Remy put one finger under her chin and tilted her had back up again.

"There's nothing to forgive, Rogue. You're the best thing that ever happened to a thief like me. I love you, all of you, even the scared bits."

She smiled, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Just know, that if you run, I'm only gonna keep chasing."

"Okay," she said. "Then just know that if you run, I'll be chasing you too. And I'm stronger than you now."

Remy couldn't help the playful smirk that lit up his face. "You think you can take me?" he teased.

"No, I know I can, because you'll want to be caught."

"By you, always."

He lowered his face to hers and kissed her much the same way that she had kissed him in the hospital; with love, tenderness and respect. He expected it just to be one kiss, but Rogue was apparently hungry for more. She deepened the kiss, raising herself up slightly to be more on his level. She repositioned herself so that she was on his lap but he groaned in pain. Rogue levitated off him in an instant but she stayed close, hovering just over his lap.

"I'm sorry!" she cried.

"_Non_, I'm sorry we have to wait before I can do any, what did Hank call it, strenuous activity?"

Rogue blushed and bit her lip, and Remy realised that she still may not be ready for that.

"You know, Rogue, that just because you can touch now, doesn't mean that I'm going to be all over you now, right?"

Her blush deepened and he felt awful.

"What I... I mean I'll wait, I'll keep waiting for as long..." he sighed and shook his head sadly. "You've turned me into some love struck teenager. Seriously, _chère_, I'm supposed to be suave, you know."

Rogue giggled, which Remy thought must qualify as one of the most beautiful sounds in the world.

"I like it, actually," she said. "It's endearing."

"You try thinking that when I forget the condoms, or come in under ten seconds," he said without thinking. Then he remembered that being so forthright in front of an already blushing virgin might not be such a good idea, but she was actually laughing.

"You know, I was worried," she said, her voice still full of mirth. "I thought that I was so inexperienced that I'd be too boring for you. I kinda like that in some ways, you're just as nervous as I am."

"You could never disappoint me, _chère_."

Rogue levitated down a little so that she was lightly touching his lap, then kissed him again. She was just about to deepen the kiss when there was a knock on the door. With a mutual groan of frustration, they stopped and Remy called for the visitor to come in.

Rogue tried to levitate off his lap but Remy wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her to him. She could have easily broken his grip but as shy and insecure as she felt, she liked the idea of being seen as Remy's girl.

"Oh I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" It was Jean who's head popped in.

"Not at all, petite," Remy assured her. He was actually glad of the interruption since he wasn't totally sure he could control himself around Rogue, despite both his promise to her take things at her pace, and to the doctor to take things easy.

Jean stepped into the motorhome. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to talk to you both, to thank you for what you did."

"I didn't do anything, it's Rogue here who deserves your thanks."

"But I hurt you." Jean looked to his side, where she knew his wound to be located.

"That was the Phoenix, _petite_, I don't hold any grudge against you for that. Wasn't your fault."

Jean smiled at his kindness. "Thank you for saying so but without you, I wouldn't have had Rogue, so I owe you both my thanks. And I... I know that you and I and I have never been exactly close, Rogue, but I do love you like a sister. An annoying younger sister, but a sister none the less."

Rogue couldn't believe it, Jean Grey had just cracked a joke! Was the world ending and someone forgot to tell her?

"You're welcome." She smiled at Jean. "And I may not show it often, but that's how I see you too; as an annoying, bossy, older sister."

Jean and Rogue smiled at each other while Remy frowned.

"Someone better not liken me to a brother next," he told them. "Don't think my ego could survive such an insult."

Both women laughed.

"Anyway," Jean continued once the laughter had stopped. "I know they're meeting to discuss Remy becoming an X-Man later today, and I just wanted to tell you both that you have my vote."

"Vote?" Remy looked confused.

"I- I- It- I mean-" Rogue stammered but couldn't seem to say how she felt. She worried that he would think she was trying to pressure him into joining. She took a deep breath and tried again. "The professor suggested it, and I thought that it couldn't hurt to know what your options are, right? Nothing's set in stone but then we'll know where we stand, one way or the other."

"I like that 'we'," Remy smiled at her. "And Remy be happy anywhere that you are, _chère_. I was just taken by surprise, that's all."

They were just looking at each other, not kissing or hugging or whispering sickly sweet nothings to each other, but the gesture was so intimate that Jean had to look away. She had never thought that Rogue would be the type of woman to fall in love, certainly not this deeply in love, but she practically radiated the emotion. Maybe it was her telepathy that let her see it, for she hadn't been given the impression from the other X-Men that there was such a tight bond between them.

"Well, I'd better be going, the professor and I have another session shortly."

"How are you doing?" Rogue asked her.

"Better," Jean smiled, though it wasn't her usual smile. She, or rather the Phoenix, had killed people. The Hellfire Club hadn't exactly been innocents and you could even argue that they brought their fate upon themselves, but even knowing that she wasn't technically responsible for their deaths, Jean still felt guilty.

Rogue could relate and didn't press her for more information.

"I'll see you later," she said, and Jean left.

"So, where were we?" Remy asked once the door was closed. He leaned forward to kiss her but Rogue pulled away.

"You really don't mind about us meeting about you?"

"I really don't mind. I kinda wish I could be there to plead my case, but I'm not sure I could do that ladder again so soon, and I know they'll talk more freely without me there."

"Okay, but there were a couple of things that I wanted to say to you before the meeting." She looked down at her hands, unwilling or unable to meet his gaze.

_"Chère?"_

"I, uh..." she too a deep breath. "I love you."

Remy's unease transferred into a huge grin. "You mean that _chère_?"

Rogue nodded and finally found the courage to look into his eyes. "Yeah." His smile seemed infectious and she smiled too, though not as enthusiastically.

"Good, 'cos I love you too, _mon amour._" He took her hands and raised her left to his lips. He had never kissed her hand without her gloves on before, and he relished the sensation of his lips on her skin.

"Really?" her smile began to widen.

"Really and truly. I have loved you for ages, Rogue, but I could feel you pulling away and I didn't want to scare you by saying it."

Rogue blinked the tears in her eyes away. "Oh god, I can't believe I'm almost crying!" she laughed. "It's like I'm turning into Kitty or something!"

Remy laughed and kissed her knuckles again. He hated to spoil the mood but he had to ask before his curiosity killed him. "You said there were a couple of things you wanted to discuss?"

"Yeah." She reached out and cupped the side of his face. "I wanted you to know that if they don't say yes, I'll leave with you."

"You mean that?" he asked, slightly awed that she would give up her family for him.

"I do."

"You know, I could just get a place near by."

"No, Remy, I want us to be together, properly, and if the X-Men won't accept my choice, then they don't accept me."

"Okay," he agreed. "But don't give them that ultimatum, _hein_? If they want me around, I want it to be because they want me, not because they're afraid of losing you."

Rogue could understand and she nodded. "I promise."


	16. Chapter 16

This is it guys, it's finally over! *sob* Thanks to all those who reviewed and encouraged me. I hope you enjoy the final instalment.

**Chapter Sixteen**

"And the plans will be the same as last time, thus saving us the cost of architect fees. We will be paying a premium for immediate service, but I think that rebuilding the mansion is of the utmost importance," the professor said to those assembled. "So, I believe that only leaves me to propose the matter of Remy LeBeau, also known as Gambit, becoming an X-Man. I should mention that will also mean allowing a younger mutant than we are used to living here, Remy's ward, Sarah, who is six."

"Seconded!" Rogue jumped in. She didn't really understand the meeting etiquette, but she had picked up that every motion had to be seconded.

The professor smiled at her eagerness. "So before we put this to a vote, any thoughts?" he asked the group.

"I trust my sister," Kurt said immediately. "If she says we can trust him, then I believe her."

"Me too!" Kitty called out.

"Can't have too many southerners, if you ask me" Sam said, in his typical, easy going manner.

Rogue smiled at them.

"The guys a jerk!" Bobby called out, making the professor wonder at the wisdom of giving the younger X-Men both a voice and a vote at this meeting.

"You're the jerk, Bobby," Rogue said. "You're just mad that he banned you from the motorhome 'cos you stole and wore my bra!"

Bobby turned beet red and shut up. He had been hoping that the professor wouldn't have to learn about that.

The professor looked to the adults, hoping for some informed and reasonable opinions.

"I know that we are not set up to take younger children," Storm began, "However, with an image inducer, I see no reason that Sarah can't attend the local elementary school, as the others do the Bayville High."

"And if not, I'm sure Remy'd be happy to pay for private tutoring at home," Rogue added. "It's what he does now."

"As I understand it," Hank interjected. "Sarah has a visible mutation, so I think that offering her a place here would be most beneficial thing for her, especially being in the presence of others with visible mutations, such as Kurt and myself."

The professor looked to Logan.

"I ain't got no problem with the kid coming here," he grunted, refusing to offer an opinion on Remy.

Xavier looked to Scott, who was after all the leader of the X-Men, and deserved to have his opinion heard.

"I can't claim to have made an effort to get to know Gam-,I mean, Remy." Scott blushed slightly, though everyone could understand that his worry over Jean had prevented him being too sociable. "He did rescue Rogue though, and that alone should be enough that we give him a chance."

"I agree with Scott," Jean added. "Even without Rogue's vouching for him, I think Remy has more than earned a chance."

No one spoke for a few moments.

"Well then, I think we should vote," the professor said. "All those in favour?"

All hands raised except Bobby and Logan.

"Against?"

Only Bobby raised his hand.

"Logan, I assume you are abstaining?" The professor asked. Logan nodded in reply. "Then the motion is carried. If they are agreeable, Remy LeBeau shall become the newest member of the X-Men and Sarah shall become the mansions newest resident."

"Thank you," Rogue gasped as she released the breath that she hadn't been aware she was holding, thanking all the gods, goddesses and lucky stars for helping her.

"I for one am looking forward to trying his cooking, that I have heard so much about," the professor said with an easy smile. "Once he is feeling a little better, of course."

* * *

"Remy! Remy! You did it! You're in!" Rogue metaphorically flew into the Winnebago, only just stopping herself from jumping on him and aggravating his wound.

"I'm in?" he said with a smirk. "You would of thought I would remember something like that. Hank must've given me some great drugs."

Rogue rolled her eyes and gently sat on his lap, careful not to hurt him. Then she swatted his shoulder. "You have a dirty mind, swamp rat!"

"Hey, no hitting the wounded man!"

Rogue didn't look impressed, but kissed him anyway. When she pulled away, leaving Remy clearly wanting more, she looked anxious.

"So?" she asked.

"You even have to ask, _chère_? There's no way I'm letting you face bad guys without me by your side."

"And look where that got you last time," she tried to chide him, but her happiness made it a poor attempt.

"I'd take a stake to the side every day for you, _chère_."

"Aww," she looked all lovey dovey, a very odd expression on her. "I think that's the cheesiest line I've ever heard."

Remy laughed but quickly settled for chuckling when he discovered that it hurt his abdominal muscles too much.

"So, should we call Sarah and tell her the good news?" he said. "I haven't called in a few days, she'll be worried."

"We'll call her, but no spilling the beans, okay." She had a devious a smile. "Just tell her you'll be back in a week or so."

"You got a plan, _chère_?"

"_Oui_," she grinned.

* * *

It turned out that the X-Men had some stellar technology for speeding up healing and that, combined with Remy's own very slight healing factor, meant that nine days later he was still sore but mostly healed.

He was packing up necessities in his kitchen in New Orleans, since he knew the X-Men wouldn't have all the tools he needed to be a true culinary master, when he heard Sarah's footsteps running towards the apartment. Seconds later the door flew open and she rushed inside and into his arms.

He picked her up and groaned as one of her bony growths pressed into his abdomen.

"Remy!"

"It's nothing, _chère_," he said, depositing her on the breakfast bar. "Just a small scratch."

"You sure?"

"Have I ever lied to you?" Remy grinned.

"No," she shook her head. "Rogue didn't come back with you then?"

"I told you I would try, _petite_, but no promises."

"I know. I'm sure you tried."

"I did, I tried really really hard."

Sarah swallowed down her unhappiness. She hadn't really expected Rogue to come back with him, but she had still hoped. Finally she noticed that half the kitchen drawers and cupboards had been unloaded.

"Why is the kitchen a mess?" She looked puzzled.

"That's a surprise, but before I give you the details, I want you to go into your bedroom and open your gift."

She nodded, doing her best to hide her disappointment at Rogue not returning as she made her way into the bedroom, Remy following behind her.

In the middle of the floor stood a large box, wrapped in pink paper and tied with a massive bow and her mood improved slightly. She tore the ribbon off, then the paper and was just pulling the box open when Rogue shot upright.

"Rogue!" Sarah threw herself into the other girls arms and Rogue held her tightly as Sarah kicked her legs in delight.

"It's good to see you again, sugar. I missed you."

"I missed you too. Remy lied to me and said you hadn't come back!"

"I said no such thing!" Remy came up to them, sounding indignant but unable to keep the smile from his lips. "I said I tried, and I did; I just neglected to mention that I was successful."

"It was my idea," Rogue confessed. "I wanted to surprise you,"

"We also have another surprise, petite."

"What?" Sarah's mood instantly changed and she was once again wary. Rogue put her down and led her over to the bed. Remy knelt in front of them and took Sarah's hand.

"You remember those friends of Rogue that we were looking for?"

Sarah nodded.

"Well, they're all mutants like we are and after we found them, they asked to come and live with them. So what do you think?"

"You don't want me any more?"

"No, no petite, I'm going too. I'm still your family-"

"Me too," Rogue added.

"We're just going to be part of a bigger family now."

Sarah didn't look convinced.

"What is it?" Remy prompted. "You can tell me?"

Sarah looked to Rogue, then back to Remy.

"What of they don't like me," she said in a small voice.

"Sugar, they will love you," Rogue assured her. "And, you won't even be the oddest looking person there. My brother, Kurt, is blue and fury!"

"Really?"

"Yeah." Rogue got her phone out and brought up a picture of her and Kurt. "See?"

"Wow! He looks so cool"

Rogue left Sarah and Remy packing up what they needed from the apartment and slipped away. Remy knew where she was going, but he had promised not to follow.

* * *

Rogue felt nervous as she waited for Mystique to arrive but she refrained from wringing her hands as she wanted to. Suddenly she wished that she hadn't told Remy she needed to do this alone.

She looked around the park at all the mothers and children there, and it hit her once again how poor a mother Mystique really was. She wished that she'd realised that there was a playground by this fountain in the park, but she'd just looked on the map, found somewhere in the open, and told Remy to set up a meeting. She should have asked his opinion on where to meet Mystique, after all, this was his city.

Thankfully her wait was cut short as she recognised a familiar blond walking towards her. Rogue stood up and waited for Mystique to reach her.

"Did you think this look would make me nostalgic?" Rogue asked. This was what Aunt Irene's lover had looked like when she visited the house but as pretty as she was, she never showed any genuine affection for Rogue, just interest in how well she was doing at her karate lessons, or gymnastics class, or ballet lessons and whatever other things she and Irene had decided would make her a good terrorist.

"This is the form I always use when not impersonating someone." Mystique answered, then she smiled. "It's good to see you. I'm so glad you're safe."

"No thanks to you," Rogue said. She wasn't going to fall for this kind and caring act, because that's all it was, an act.

"I paid that thief to get you out! This is all my doing!"

_'How little it takes for the mask to drop,' _Rogue thought at her mothers sharp tone.

"You know, I've been thinking about that and if you really cared about me, you could have rescued me yourself."

"Don't be ridiculous, I don't have the skills-"

"Don't lie, Mystique. You could have disguised yourself as one of the doctors, taken me for some testing, transferred your powers to me so I could walk out as the doctor, while you pretend to be me. I've absorbed a few mothers in my time, Mystique, and they all agreed that they'd have willingly died to keep their kids safe."

Mystique glared at her.

"Remy on the other hand," Rogue continued. "He practised picking the lock on a collar that could have exploded and killed him, he willingly got himself caught, and he risked everything to get me out of there."

"Because I paid him!"

"You didn't pay him. The money you transferred went into a bank account in my name. Remy didn't take a dime of your money."

"He gave you three hundred thousand dollars?"

"Yep."

Mystique actually looked shocked and her anguish showed through for a moment. "Rogue, please, all I ever wanted was what was best for you."

"Even when you were tricking me into believing the X-Men wanted to kill me so that I'd join your Brotherhood? When you tried to kill Scott? How about when you were lying to me and pretending to be some British chick? Or what about when you were letting Mesmero rape my mind? Or when you were carting me all over the world to offer me up as a sacrificial lamb to Apocalypse?"

"Irene saw that you would get great power if you had worked with Apocalypse! I wanted that for you!"

Rogue actually looked a little sympathetic for a moment. She had seen into Mystiques head a few times now, and she knew that her mother wasn't pure evil. She was cunning, selfish and immoral, but she genuinely did believe that she had done her best for Rogue, which was perhaps the saddest thing of all about the woman standing before her.

"Problem is, you never stopped to ask me if I wanted that power." She shook her head sadly. "I don't. I never did. I never will."

"Please, Rogue, give me another chance! I just want to do right by you!"

"Maybe that's true," Rogue admitted. "But you've blown all your chances already. No matter what happens in the future, you have betrayed me and used me too many times for me to ever trust you again. We can never even be friends, let alone mother and daughter. I thank you for giving me a brother like Kurt, and for staying outta his life so that he could grow into the good, kind man that he is. I thank ya for tellin' Remy that I was missing so that he could get me out, and I thank you for giving me enough money to help us start our lives together, but that's all I thank you for. I am not your daughter any longer, Mystique. You need to give up trying to do stuff for me, because one of these days you'll push me too far and I'll kill ya for real."

She vividly remembered pushing that statue that she thought was mystique over the cliff. She vividly remembered how terrible she felt, though mainly because of the pain she had caused Kurt, not because she had killed Mystique. If she had to, if Mystique hurt Kurt or Remy or any one of her friends, Rogue knew that she was capable of killing her. Maybe it wasn't the X-Men way, but then none of the X-Men had been used and betrayed like she had. She didn't want to become a killer though, and she prayed that Mystique would heed her warning and keep her distance.

"Goodbye, Mystique." Rogue turned on her heel and marched out of the park, heading for home.

A few moments later she heard footsteps running after her, she heard her name called, and she turned to see three homeless men restraining Mystique. Quite a feat for the winos they appeared to be.

Good old Remy, even though he swore to stay away and give her space, he'd sent three of the the Thieve's guards to watch out for her. Rogue smiled and resumed her journey back to the apartment.

* * *

It only took them a day to pack up what they needed and have it shipped to the mansion, then a second day to say their goodbyes before they drove back to New York, since Sarah didn't have a passport.

Most of the younger students had been sent on holiday, with Logan, Jean and Scott to supervise. There would never be too much mischief with Logan around, so Jean and Scott were sent primarily because they both needed a break and a chance to reconnect.

Work on the mansion was progressing quickly thanks not only to the professor paying over the odds, but a few of Remy's contacts who he had called in favours from. The structure was up, though it still missed a roof and of course, the inside still needed a lot of decorating.

The adults, plus Kurt and Kitty, were quite happy living in the basement now that it was far less cramped. Kurt and Kitty were given the opportunity to go with the other students, but they preferred to stay since Rogue was staying.

Sarah's eyes almost bugged out of her head as she spied the mansion.

"We'll be living there?" she asked.

"Uh huh," Remy said with a smile.

"But what if it rains, we'll get wet?"

"The roof will be on soon, sugar," Rogue laughed. "And since we're a family, the professor has offered us a suite of rooms."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that Remy and I will have a bedroom which connects to a living room, and your bedroom will have a door to our living room too," Rogue explained.

"Yay!"

They had debated over whether to simply put Sarah in the dorm wing with the other children, but since she was by far the youngest, Remy preferred to keep her close. If the situation changed and they accepted other young children in the future, Remy was happy for Sarah to room with them if she wanted, but she was just too young to be alone right now and even though she was surrounded by teenagers, due to her age she would still be alone.

As they pulled up in front of the mansion, the professor came out to greet them. One of the first features installed was the lift, so that he didn't have to do through the rather degrading procedure of being carried up the basement entrance ladder, then wait for his chair to be carried up.

He had his usual beatific smile on his face as he waited for them to get out, and was soon joined by Kurt, Kitty and Storm. They got their bags out of the trunk and walked up to the house. Sarah seemed fascinated by Kurt stared at him as they got closer. Kurt too watched her approach, and thankfully he seemed amused by her staring rather than offended.

"I love your fur," Sarah said.

"And I love your hair," Kurt replied.

"Can I touch it?" Sarah reached out a hand but didn't touch without permission.

"Sure you can," Kitty interrupted, slinging her arm around Kurt's shoulders. "As long as I can braid your hair later. It's so pretty."

"Sure!" Sarah readily agreed, then reached out to stroke Kurt's arm.

Rogue debated telling Kitty to back off and warning her not to turn Sarah into her own personal dress up doll, but then she thought that after so much negative attention in her life, having a beautiful girl like Kitty literally fawning over her would probably be a good for Sarah, so she bit her tongue.

"Okay, now that's settled," Remy said, gently guiding Sarah away from Kurt before things could become awkward. "Sarah, I'd like you to meet Charles Xavier, Ororo Monroe, Kitty Pryde and Kurt Wagner."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sarah," Xavier said. "I've heard a lot about you."

Sarah stepped closer to Remy again, her shyness kicking back in.

"We've had a long journey, professor, Sarah's probably tired. Maybe Kitty could make one of her sugar filled chocolate milkshakes for her, might revive her spirits," Remy suggested.

"Yeah!" Kitty reached out and grabbed the girls hand.

"Can I have one too?" Kurt asked, trailing after them. Sarah reached out and took his hand.

Remy put his arm around Rogue's shoulder, pleased that she had already made some friends.

"I think we made the right decision," Rogue said.

They gave the trio a few minutes, then followed them down to the basement kitchen. Kitty was busy yammering on about the school and the other students while Sarah watched her, sipping in her milkshake, seemingly awed by the older girl.

"I see out newest resident has arrived. I trust you had a pleasant journey?"

Sarah stared, wide eyed, at Hank. She looked a little frightened which, considering Hanks sheer size, wasn't an unusual reaction.

"Forgive me, my name is Henry McCoy, but most people call me Hank." He offered his great big hand to Sarah.

Remy and Rogue looked at each other, both wondering if she would react with terror or bravery. Slowly Sarah reached her own hand out to take his, her eyes still wide but more with wonder than fear now.

"You're blue too!"

"Why yes," Hank chuckled, "yes I am."

Just then, Emma Frost walked in, quickly taking in the happy scene before her. Her eyes narrowed.

"Oh good, we're becoming a kindergarten," she sneered.

"What's this 'we' business?" Rogue asked, her hands on her hips. "You know, you're free to leave any time you want to." That was more then just a suggestion.

They all knew why she stayed, because she had no where else to go. She and the professor had been having many long, mostly silent, discussions about her joining the X-Men, and because he was hopeful that he could talk her around, everyone else tolerated her presence. Her attitude made it harder than it need be though.

Scowling, Emma turned on her heels and left.

"She's really pretty," Sarah said.

"Maybe," Remy said, sitting down beside Sarah and putting his arm around her shoulders. "But she ain't got nothin' on you, petite. Besides, on the inside, she's real ugly."

Sara giggled.

"Remy's right," Kitty instantly agreed. "You're ten times prettier than she is, especially since I'm pretty sure those boobs are fake."

Sarah frowned. "What are fake boobs?"

"I'll tell you when you're little older." Kitty blushed. "So anyway, drink up, then we'll find you a room to stay in. Or you can bunk with me if you want."

Sarah looked from Kitty to Remy and back, biting her lip.

"Just 'cos we got a cot for you in the Winnebago, don't mean you have to use it." Remy smiled at her. "You can stay with Kitty if you want to."

"Maybe just for tonight," Sarah hedged her bets, not wanting to hurt the man who had become her best friend, and once had been her only friend. "Like those sleepovers they have on TV?"

"You stay as long or as little as you like." He kissed her cheek. "Remy will still be there when you need him."

Rogue thought that this was the best thing that could have happened to Sarah. For the first time in possibly her whole life, a group of strangers were accepting her at face value. She would speak to kitty and make sure she didn't take her 'make over' too far though.

Soon after, Kitty dragged Sarah away, Kurt tagging along since Sarah seemed disinclined to let his hand go for too long, and Rogue leaned into Gambit.

"You're little girl is growing up," she said, only half teasing.

"_Our_ little girl," he said, turning to grin at her. "Don't try and tell me she hasn't worked her way into your heart too, _chère_."

Rogue nodded her agreement, her expression a touch sad.

"Don't worry, this place is just new and exciting, that's all. She'll come back when the novelty wears off."

Rogue smiled. "If I'd know how special it'd be to her, I'd have offered to do her hair weeks ago."

"_You're_ special to her," Remy assured her. "Besides, one trip to the mall with Kitty and she'll be begging us to protect her."

Rogue laughed. "You sure do have a silver tongue, swamp rat."

"And you sure do give me some cute nicknames, _chère_."

He kissed her, intending it to be one of those slow and sensuous ones, the kind that showed each other how deeply they cared for each other, but it quickly developed into something more. Hank quietly excused himself. Emma returned, tutted loudly and stomped off, muttering "Get a room."

They ignored her until she was gone, and Remy finally pulled away, his forehead resting against hers.

"Not such a bad suggestion, _non_?"

Rogue grinned. "Race you to the Winnebago!"

She took off, Remy hot on her heals. Regardless of who won of lost, they were both in for a pleasant hour or so.

* * *

**Epilogue**

Jean and Rogue strolled in the mansion grounds. There was still a lot of landscaping to do, but at least the weather was nice.

"So did the break do you good?" Rogue asked.

Jean shrugged, a very unlike Jean thing to do.

"Scott and I connected but... well, let's just say it didn't do as much as I'd have liked for my mental state."

"I know the feeling," Rogue sympathised. "You can run but you can't hide."

"Exactly!" Jean smiled.

In many ways, they were both suffering similar traumas, Rogue with her kidnap and Jean with the Phoenix, had left both of them with a little PTSD. It had been the professors idea that they start talking, and although Jean had been away on vacation, they resumed the sessions as soon as she got back.

"I just... I can't stop thinking about what it did, you know? I was there, I saw it all, but I was powerless to stop it."

"You couldn't have stopped it, Jean. Sometimes people, or things, do stuff to us or make us do things that we hate but can't help, and then make us feel like bad people, but you just have to try and remember that you were just a witness, like watching a television program."

There was silence for a moment.

"How are your nightmares?" Jean finally asked.

"Not too bad. Better than they used to be, even before all this with Weapon X, especially with Remy there. He's like my own personal dream catcher."

"How are your rooms coming?" Jean asked.

"Mostly done. All the furniture's been delivered but it's still rather cold. We're going shopping this weekend, see if we can pick up some homey touches, vases, cushions, pictures, that kind of thing."

"Does he still want to install a kitchenette?"

"Yeah," Rogue smiled. She didn't mind really, but she thought that they could easily use the mansion facilities. "Worst thing though, is that he spotted the old boat house the other day, now he's angling to do it up and for us to move in there."

Jean couldn't decipher Rogue's tone.

"That thing is just a shell!"

"I know, but he wants to do it up, or rebuild it." She sighed.

"You don't want that?"

"I just... I'm a little young, you know, to be settling down in domestic bliss."

Jean didn't know what to say to that, but thankfully Rogue continued, saving her the need to reply.

"It's not that I don't love him, and lord knows I feel years older than I actually am but part of me is just rebelling against becoming some cookie cutter couple, you know?"

"I think so," Jean smiled. "Just because you don't want your own home, doesn't mean that you don't love him. This mansion has been your home for years now, Rogue, in fact I'd be surprised if it _was_ easy for you to leave."

Rogue nodded idly, still turning the situation over in her mind.

"How did you leave things?" Jean asked.

"We didn't really, just said we'd talk about it in a few months. Maybe when Sarah moves into the main dorms in a few years or something."

"Is he pressuring you?"

"No," Rogue smiled. "He's just so excited about the idea, you know? It's hard to be the one to rain on his parade."

Jean laughed.

"What?" Rogue demanded.

"Nothing, I just didn't think I'd ever see the day when you found it hard to assert your opinions."

Though she felt like she should be mad as such a judgement, Rogue knew that what's Jean said had more than a ring of truth to it.

"Yeah, I guess my ball busting days are over," she said with a smile.

"Not completely over, I hope, maybe just toned down?"

"Yeah," Rogue grinned.

They fell into silence once more. As they walked, Rogue could feel that Jean had something to say but was nervous; you didn't have to be a telepath to figure that one out."

"Sometimes I miss it," Jean finally confessed, sitting at the cliff edge to look into the sea below. Rogue sat beside her.

"Miss what?"

"The Phoenix." Jean hung her head. "I don't know how to explain it and I didn't notice it until after it was gone, but now I feel so... empty. Sometimes I don't even care what it did, it had always been a part of me and I want it back."

"Just like flying's a blessing and a burden to me. You know, no matter what they did to me, they did teach me to recall other peoples gifts and without that, I couldn't have helped you. I think that sometimes good things can come from bad experiences, don't you?."

Jean smiled slightly and Rogue continued.

"Recognising the good in bad things doesn't make you a bad person. Nothing is all good or all evil."

"That sounds like something I might have said once. Maybe I used to believe that but now? It's just so hard to stay positive sometimes."

Rogue nodded. "You know, Remy once told me that when he feels down, he makes a list of ten things in his head that he was grateful for. It was something he was told when he lived on the streets, and he said it really helped."

"A homeless boy had things to be grateful for?" Jean sounded sceptical.

"He said that as long as he stole enough to eat, could dress himself and and found shelter for the night, then there were people a lot worse off than him. Plus, he wasn't dying from some horrible disease, or stressed about bills, and if he didn't have anyone to love him, then he would never be pained by their loss. He said it was hard to feel angry or frustrated if you're feeling grateful."

Jean was silent for a while before replying. "I'm beginning to think that your Remy has more depth to his character than any of us imagined."

"He hides it well," Rogue said with a wry grin.

Jean smiled in reply and silently began composing her gratitude list. If a street kid could be grateful, then as mixed up as she felt, surely she could find ten things too.

They walked in companionable silence for a while longer, then Rogue checked her watch.

"We'd better head in and get ready."

"You go." Jean smiled. "I think I'd just like a few more moments to see if I can get my list up to twenty."

"What number are you at now?"

"17, and for the moment, stuck there."

Rogue gave her a quick hug, then headed inside the mansion.

* * *

"Seriously, Rogue, you cannot make me wear this? My reputation will be ruined!"

"Why not?" Rogue asked as she checked her reflection in the mirror. Her dress was gorgeous, if she did say so herself. A deep purple shade, it had a fitted bodice, held in place with spaghetti straps and a full, flared skirt that came to her knees in front but dipped down to mid calf at the back. There was nothing at all obscene about the outfit, though it still felt weird to show so much skin in public. She was glad that the outfit had some matching satin gloves since although she didn't need them, they were a comfort to her.

For so long her gloves had felt like a prison and she had wished for a day when she might no longer need them. She felt a little foolish wearing them now that she didn't need them, but Remy had assured her that it wasn't cowardice; they only came to her wrist after all, so her arms were uncovered. Baby steps, he called it, and somehow managed to make it sound reassuring, not condescending.

"I pick out that killer outfit for you and you're honestly going to make me wear this?" Remy asked again.

Rogue turned to look at him and couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips.

"You did agree that you would wear anything I picked out for you," she reminded him. "And it is a tuxedo."

"From the 1970s!"

In duck egg blue with darker blue piping down the side of the pants, it was indeed a throwback from a decade that fashion forgot. In fact the hideousness of the suit was only topped by the ruffled, off white dress shirt he was wearing, with matching duck egg blue bow tie.

It was so awful that not even his sexy eyes and five o'clock shadow could save his image.

"I'm gonna be a laughing stock!" he said, shaking his head in despair.

Rogue laughed. "Then maybe next time you'll let me chose my own clothes."

"But you love that dress!"

"Yes I do, but you know that you have been foisting clothes on me ever since we got to New Orleans. You can suggest things, swamp rat, but remember this the next time you try and force something on me."

"_Chère_!" Remy gave her the puppy dog eyes. "_Mon amour, _have pity on a lowly Cajun?""

Rogue tried to resist but she was a slave to the puppy dog eyes.

"All right, fine, you can change after an hour, and that's my final offer."

Remy smiled. "I think I can last an hour."

"An hour after the party starts, that is."

His face dropped but Rogue disappeared next door, through the living room and into Sarah's room, before he could try any more underhand tactics.

"How's it going in here?" Rogue asked.

Kitty and Sarah turned to her, both smiling.

"Great," Kitty said. "I'm nearly finished."

Rogue eyed Sarah's party dress that was hanging outside the wardrobe.

"You better get a move on yourself, Kitty, party starts in half an hour."

"I know. Can you help her with the dress while I go and change?"

"Sure thing."

Now that Sarah had an image inducer she had freely agreed to go shopping with Kitty for her dress, though after trying on over a dozen different ones, Sarah was beginning to see why Rogue avoided going to the mall with Kitty like the plague.

"Can I use my image inducer tonight?" Sarah asked.

"Sorry, honey, tonight is come as you are."

Sarah knew that the inducer was only for use outside of the mansion but it seemed that she enjoyed looking normal so much that she wanted to use it all the time. While the inducer was good for blending in while in public, both Remy and Rogue had agreed that it's use should be banned in the house since they both knew that she had to come to terms with who she was. They hoped that one day, she could feel comfortable enough to go out without the image inducer, though that had just as much to do with public acceptance as it did Sarah's self confidence.

Kitty placed one final clip in Sarah's hair, sprayed enough hair-spray to make Rogue gag, then sauntered off to get dressed. Rogue knew that this was her and Piotr's first official outing as a couple, so her friend was understandably nervous.

Tonight was a joint 'welcome home' to the mutants who had been away on holiday or back home with their folks, and a 'Hey look, it's band spanking new mansion' party. The mutants who had gone on holiday had arrived back yesterday morning, and other students had been dropped off in dribs and drabs by their parents ever since. The mansion still wasn't completely finished but it was just finishing touches, like the odd carpet, art work and plants still to do.

Remy and Rogue had moved into their suite of rooms about a week ago and when not working on the mansion, had turned their rooms into a homey place. Most of the furniture was bough new but some of it Remy had sent for from home, which really made it feel like theirs. Rogue didn't quite understand why items from Remys home would make her feel at home, but she was past questioning such things. Besides, the only things Rogue had ever owned which she could contribute to a room were her Nine Inch Nails posters, which had sadly perished in the fire.

She didn't really mind, she felt like she was moving beyond being a teenager now, and into a new and exciting phase of her life.

Once dressed, in a shade of pink slightly darker than her hair, Sarah looked lovely.

"Can I go show the others?" she asked.

"Sure," Rogue assured her, kissing her forehead and giving her a quick hug. "We'll meet you down stairs, okay?"

"Okay!" Sarah ran out and Rogue ventured back to Remy, who had taken to pacing the living room like a caged lion.

"Come on, swamp rat, let's see if they need any help setting up."

Remy muttered something under his breath but duly offered her his elbow as a good escort should.

There were a few people in the rec room when they entered, and each and every one of them fell silent as Remy and Rogue walked in. Remy squared his shoulders and shrugged.

"What?" he asked, causing a chorus of laughter to ring out.

He handled his embarrassment with equanimity, acting as though nothing was wrong and after half an hour, Rogue relented.

"Okay, swamp rat, you can go change, under one condition."

"Oui?"

"Whatever you come back dressed in has got to make me swoon."

"Or what?"

"Or you'll be wearing the blue tux to every formal occasion from now till eternity."

Remy grinned, clearly seeing no problem with winning this bet. He kissed her cheek, then sprinted off up stairs.

Rogue mingled for a while, being as sociable as a loner could be. The professor would be proud. She was chatting to Amara and Kitty when Kitty stopped talking mid sentence and both girls mouths hung agape.

"What?" Rogue asked, turning around.

Strolling down the mansion stairs, looking like some kind of bad boy posing as a sexy GQ model, came Remy. His tux was simple, black with a white shirt and black bow tie, but man, did he ever know how to wear that suit. It must have been one of those $2,000 ones or something, the ones that were perfectly tailored because although it was simple, Rogue could just eat him up.

Most of the girls and women stopped to stare as he swaggered past them, his eyes glued to Rogue. She felt like he should have a sound track accompanying his entrance or something, I'm Sexy and I Know It would do in a pinch but really, he needed something much classier.

He walked straight up to her, grabbed her waist and dipper her slightly for a perfect Hollywood kiss. Logan growled but kept the volume low. To be fair thought, Rogue wouldn't have heard a lion growing right beside her at the moment. Remy then pulled back slightly and stared down at her for a second, smirking like the cat who got the cream, before he pulled her upright again.

"Okay," Rogue said, feeling rather flustered. "You win."

Remy held out his hand. "Dance, _chère_?"

No one was dancing at the moment, but there was music playing and certainly enough space. Besides, she doubted that she could have said no even had her life depended on it. He led her to a relatively clear section of the room then pulled her into his arms. The song changed to Queen's _You're My Best Friend_, and Remy smiled, remembering their discussion of Queen during their escape, and their not too melodic rendition of Gloria Estefan. Rogue smiled back, clearly having similar thoughts, though she stifled a giggle at the memory. Who would have thought that Rogue would ever have to suppress an urge to giggle?

More importantly though, who would ever have thought that Rogue could even smile about an event so closely linked to her ordeal? Certainly not Rogue herself, and she knew that she had this man before her to thank for her slightly more optimistic outlook on life. They had both suffered so much in their young lives, but somehow Remy had taught her that there was still fun to be had and pleasures to be taken, so long as you didn't let the bad overwhelm you.

A few other people decided that dancing was a good idea and joined them, but neither Rogue nor Remy noticed. It was like their world had shrunk down to just them for a few moments, and they were taking full advantage if that fact.

"I thought I took you home with me when we went to New Orleans, but it was you who took me home, the moment I met you."

Rogue smiled, feeling tears prick her eyes. "You make this place a home for me," she said. "Anywhere you are feels like home."

Remy's eyes lit up with pleasure. "I love you, _mon coeur_."

"I love you too, sugar."

Remy lowered his head to kiss her again, when something tugged at his jacket. He looked down to see Sarah standing there, her arms held up towards them.

"I wanna dance too!"

Perhaps they would both have been within their rights to be angry at the intrusion, but Sarah was just not the kind of girl that it was easy to be angry with. Remy stooped down, picked her up and rested her on his hip. One arm held Sarah in place while the other went around Rogue's waist again. Rogue also wrapped her free arm around Sarah, while the little girl put her arms around Remy and Rogue's necks.

"Are you having fun, ___mon mignon__?" Remy asked. _

"So much," Sarah smiled. "I love it here."

"Good," Rogue kissed her cheek.

"You are staying though, right? You won't leave me here?"

"We could never leave you," Rogue assured her.

"_Non_, we couldn't," Remy agreed.

Perhaps they were both too young for a family, but that was certainly what they had, and neither Rogue nor Remy could find the will to mind very much at all.


End file.
